The Legendary Keeper
by littledoggy
Summary: Sara was grabbed from the real world to the Pokemon World, where she must assume the role of the Legendary Keeper. With this title comes special abilities, which she will unravel as she gains experience. R & R.
1. The Beginning

**1. The Beginning**

Sara True woke up to the annoying '_BEEP, BEEP,_' of her cuckoo-bird shaped alarm clock, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Still half-awake, she brushed her teeth and combed her smooth brown hair. She ventured into the bathroom, only to spill water on herself, waking her up thoroughly.

"Morning, Sara. Did you have nice dreams last night?" asked Simon, her dad. "Umm, yeah. I guess you can say so. It was the same dream again." She answered.

"The very same? Don't you get bored with it?" he teased. "Not really…it was quite nice, to tell the truth. On the other hand, it might just be the aftermath of being totally addicted to Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald. This comes from having it only a week ago, I guess. (Being a beginner, she played it daily till well past midnight. She hasn't got far though….)"

_Flashback into Sara's dream_………………………………………………………..

_Countless pokemon, perhaps every single pokemon in the entire pokemon world surrounded her, all of them looking at her respectfully. Suddenly, the crowd made way for more pokemon, these far more majestic than those surrounding them. _

_One of them came up to her. Suddenly, without warming, it released a stream of fire, whose heat could be felt even at a distance. _Flamethrower, _she realized. The fire touched her and left its mark – a burn on her left wrist._

_She screamed, and backed away. Two pokemon appeared this time, aiming with their mouths open, at her unmarked wrist. A huge sea of water engulfed her – _Water Pulse – _and branded her with a blue mark on her wrist._

Petal Dance_ was performed, and formed thorns and roses on one ankle. A_ Sandstorm _brewed, marking her with its unique brand. Another used _Shadow Ball_ and so on, until all the elements except one had bestowed upon her their respective symbols._

_Finally, a Dragon elemental used Dragon Dance on her. This time, she felt her entire body change. Somehow, she already knew it was going to happen. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the seemingly magical transformation. White swirls surrounded her body, and she relaxed. She felt her body change shape. When she reopened her eyes, she saw herself covered in feathery down that shone brilliantly in all colours, mostly gold. The colours of the respective elements blazed proudly on her chest. Her silver eyes sparkled with incredible knowledge. Her muscles strengthened. Her transformation is complete._

_The other pokemon seem to express satisfaction – to what, no one may ever unravel. A voice spoke in her head (telepathy) " We await your return…Legendary Keeper!"_

_End flashback_…………………………………………………………………………

Sara never mentioned her dream, unless it was in a situation like this. She usually slithered out of answering this topic, almost instinctively. This time, the dream was slightly different from those she had had before. The voice had given her a piece of advice: "seek the Stone of Rebirth to enter our realm. We shall welcome you with open arms." Its words puzzled Sara who only knew a little about pokemon, since she only played the game when she had nothing else to do.

_Monday, 9.00a.m._

" Okay, for PE today all of you will be participating in a treasure hunt. Find white stones hidden around the school compound and come back here by 10 o'clock. The one who has got the most white stones will receive a prize." The teacher said. "Starting from…NOW!"

_White stones, huh? Should be easy enough._ Sara searched through undergrowth and under rocks to no avail. _Okay…I take my words back Hey, is that…?_ She had spotted something. Something shaped like a flat rock, glowing eerily in the shade. At the same time, the glow released a comforting warmth.

Sara was enraptured. She drew nearer to the stone, almost against her will. The moment she touched it, a blinding light surrounded her, glowing brighter and brighter until it resembled a small sun. _W-What's happening? _Sara looked around in confusion. Then as suddenly as it came, the light was gone, taking Sara with it.

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So, was it nice? I'm only a beginner, an amateur writing fanfics, so please don't flame me for my story (if it was THAT terrible)! Anyway, reviews up, I need some ideas.

NEXT EPISODE…

Sara will arrive in Littleroot town, and will choose her first pokemon, who will accompany her on her journey throughout Hoenn. She will meet Brendan and May. Together with Torchic as her traveling partner, Sara starts her long and perhaps dangerous journey on the road of Pokemon.


	2. New Friends

How was my first fanfic? Not so bad, I hope….

LAST EPISODE:

Sara kept having the same dream over and over again, each time the pokemon in her dream beckoning her to come and seek them in the pokemon world. To do so, she will need to find the Stone of Rebirth. She found it almost accidentally during a treasure hunt during PE.

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2. New Friends

_Welcome, Legendary Keeper._ Sara blinked several times before she realized that she was no longer in her world. "W-who are you?" she stammered.

_We are pokemon who inhabit the pokemon world. You are called here due to your great love for us._

"Why me? I am sure that there are other people who are more worthy." _No, fate had chosen you as the Legendary Keeper, and so you shall be. With this title comes certain powers that may amaze you, but take care not to reveal your identity to ANYONE. However_….

"However…?" _However, the evil that invade this world know of your identity. You must take precaution…for if you fall into their hands, it will be a catastrophe._

"Who are they? What are my powers? Tell me!" Sara was getting more desperate by the minute. _Relax, Keeper. You will find out the answers to your questions as you travel around Hoenn, gathering knowledge and life-long friends._ With that, Sara blacked out once again.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Hey, she's waking up." Those were the first words she heard in…well, for some time. The unfamiliar voice made Sara sit up in alarm. "Whoa, there's no need to be so shocked, you know." The male voice continued. Sara sat up gingerly, testing for broken bones. She appeared to be OK. After making sure of that, she asked the owner of the voice a question.

"Who are you and why am I here?" "I am Brendan, and she is May. As for why you're here, I found you unconscious on the ground near Route 101. So I got May and both of us carried you here. End of story." Brendan took a big breath.

"In that case, thanks for saving me." Sara said, sincerely thankful. "Hey, no sweat. You're a trainer too, right?" Brendan asked.

"Uh no…. I just got here." "Oh really? Where from? Johto, Kanto?" he questioned. When May saw Sara's blank look, she cut in and said, "Do stop Brendan. Don't you see that you're confusing her?"

"Oops. Sorry." He said sheepishly. "Heehee, it's alright. In fact, it was rather amusing." Sara laughed, relaxing for the first time since she arrived.

"Right. Since you're without a Pokemon, why don't you come to my dad's lab and pick up one? Then you can be trainers like us!" Brendan exclaimed. "Hey, that's a pretty good idea!" That was May. With that both of them dragged Sara to a nearby bungalow, which in truth was, of course, Professor Birch's lab. "Hey, I can walk you know!" Sara exclaimed indignantly. "Sorry, Sara." Came their cheerful replies.

"Well, well. Who have we here? " A voice echoed from the shadows. "This is Brendan and May, together with Sara. She wants a pokemon too. Can you give her one?" Brendan pleaded.

"Well, OK. Each of you may choose a starter pokemon as your partner throughout your long journey around Hoenn." The Professor stated. "Huh?" Sara cried out, surprised. She turned to look at the pair behind her and asked, "Are you beginners too?" Brendan and May nodded their heads. _So that means that I've fallen into something like Pokemon Emerald,_ she thought. _Except that in the_ _game I have to save Professor Birch from a wild Poochyena._

"Alright. Who chooses first?" The Professor's cheery voice broke through her train of thoughts. "Let Sara choose first, since she's the newest one here." Proposed May. " Sure, why not?" Sara agreed, and walked towards a table holding three Pokeballs. "In each of those Pokeballs, you will find a different pokemon. They are: Torchic, Treeko and Mudkip. Which one will you choose?" Came the professor's distant voice. "Oh. Well…I think I'll choose Torchic. I love chicks ever since I was little. They're so…WOW, it's _so _CUTE!" Sara exclaimed, looking at the chick Pokemon.

"Here are five Pokeballs for you. Use these to capture wild Pokemon you encounter." "Thanks, Professor Birch!" Sara bowed, which was returned with another bow, much more dignified than hers.

"In that case, I'll take Mudkip." That was May, hugging the Pokeball containing Mudkip close to her chest. "That leaves me with Treeko. Hmmm, I don't mind, I rather like it. Looks like me, doesn't it? Handsome and strong? Ouch!" Brendan was hit on the head by May with something that looked like a stick.

"Umm, guys? GUYS?" Sara called out to them. "Stop it NOW!" Brendan and May blinked at her surprisedly. "Wow, for a girl, you sure have a big voice, Sara." Brendan complemented. "Grrr!" May bonked him on the head with her fist. "Anyway, why did you call us?"

"Can we start our journey now?"

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Hopefully that is better than my introduction…I didn't get a single review! Sniff Anyway, I'll continue this story for some time, because I prefer sticking to a certain subject/title/story, etc.


	3. Training and A Friendly Battle

**3. The Start of The Journey and A Friendly Battle**

"Oops, sorry about that…"Brendan and May stuttered simultaneously, then glared daggers at each other. "Okay…so let's go now, shall we?" Sara said with a sweatdrop forming on the back of her head.

10 minutes later…

" Tell you what". Brendan started. "Since we're all amateur trainers here, why don't we go separate ways from here? That way, we can gain more experience rather than staying in a group and relying on each other."

" You know, that's not a bad idea at all. Looks like you finally got some brains, Brendan," May teased. "Hey!" Brendan yelled. "For the millionth time, CAN WE GO NOW?" That was Sara.

Route 101……………………………………………………………………………

"Phew…finally we got somewhere," Sara commented. " It was his/her fault!" Brendan and May said together. " Hey! Grr…"

"Let's part now," Sara hastily said. Brendan and May nodded. Each of them walked away from their friend and started foraging in the grass in the hopes of finding wild pokemon.

" Okay Torchic, let's see how you fare in a pokemon battle!" Torchic positioned itself into a fighting stance, and chirped "Torrrchic!" She (the Torchic) then stared at the Zigzagoon that was facing her, ready for battle.

"Alright then, Scratch this Zigzagoon!" Sara cheered. "Tor-chic!" Torchic rammed hard into the Zigzagoon, deducting its HP till it was in the yellows.

The Zigzagoon retaliated with a Tackle. "Dodge that Tackle now, Torchic!" Sara encouraged Torchic,

Torchic nodded, then jumped over the Zigzagoon's head when it passed. "Now another Scratch! You can do it Torchic!" Sara shouted.

"Torr-chic!" Torchic screamed as she delivered another Scratch to the Zigzagoon. This time the Zigzagoon fell down, but managed to stand up, trembling like a leaf in the wind. Sara took the opportunity to throw a Pokeball at the Zigzagoon. The Pokeball hit its target and began to wobble. Sara held her breath. Seconds later, the Pokeball stopped wobbling.

" Yay! We did it Torchic!" Torchic chirped happily, perching on her trainer's shoulders.

"Zigzagoon, I choose you!" Sara exclaimed. " Ziggzag-ggoon!" The Zigzagoon appeared. " Looks like you have a new friend, Torchic." Sara grinned happily.

After a few hours of roaming about, Sara had a Wurmple and a Poochyena in her team. Her Torchic had also leveled up significantly, now being Level 10 and had learnt Ember. Torchic appeared to be proud about its new ability and showed off whenever she can by burning the grass along the route until Sara stopped her. Her Zigzagoon is now Level 9, and her newly caught Poochyena and Wurmple at Levels 7 and 6 respectively.

" Looks like we had a good day," Sara stretched comfortably on the couch of the Pokemon Center of Oldale Town. Checking her pokemon's statistics on her Pokedex, she realized that Wurmple would evolve at Level 7. " Looks like you're gonna evolve soon, Wurmple," she cooed at Wurmple.

" Ou." Her Wurmple snuggled against her, as did the rest of her Pokemon. They looked refreshed after being healed by Nurse Joy, who ran the Pokemon Center. "Goodnight, my friends." Sara yawned and fell asleep.

_Next morning, 8.00 a.m._ …

"Had a good night's rest?" Sara asked. They nodded. " Let's hit the road, then!" she cried enthusiastically. " Route 102, here I come!"

" What do you mean, I can't walk past here?" she asked the man exasperatedly. " You see, I had found a unique footprint here in the sand. It might be a rare pokemon's footprint! Maybe even a legendary! Don't you see how important this is?" " No, I don't! I rather catch them than find their footprints, so there!" she huffed, no more patience left.

" You think that way, but I do not. I am a PokeManiac, interesting solely in finding _information_ and _proof_ of rare and elusive pokemon. Good day." With that, he turned his back onto her and ignored her completely.

" Why you…" Sara muttered angrily. " So that leaves me with Route 103 at the north of Oldale. Fine, I'll go there. At least time won't be wasted."

Route 103……………………………………………………………………………..

" Sara!" The cry made Sara turn around in surprise. Oh, it's you Brendan. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Neither did I," he admitted. " But since we're here, why not have a friendly battle?" " Sure! It'll be great." Sara grinned. " I won't go easy on you merely because you're my friend." " I wouldn't ask you to do that." Brendan smirked with a mock bow. " Let the battle begin!"

" Zigzagoon, I choose you!" " Wingull, come out and battle now!"

"Z-z-zigzagggoon!"

"Wing-g-gull!"

" Wow, a Wingull. I guess you have expanded your collection, Brendan." Sara commented. " Yup. Wingull is my newest pokemon, and this happens to be its first battle." " Good luck!" Sara shouted over to him. " Same to you, Miss Sara!" Brendan answered with another mock bow.

" Say no more, Brendan. Zigzagoon, Tail Whip now!"

" Zigoon!" Zigzagoon wagged its tail at the Wingull, lowering the Wingull's defense.

" Lowering stats, huh? Wingull, retaliate with Growl!"

Wingull Growled menacingly at Zigzagoon, lowering its Attack stat.

" Zigzagoon, Tackle that Wingull now!" Sara cried. Since Wingull was on the ground after attacking, it took the hit and fainted. " Wow…that's amazing! It took your Zigzagoon only one hit to win this battle!" Brendan exclaimed, awed.

" Well, I was training it yesterday with my other pokemon…I just didn't realize how much stronger he had grown." She admitted. " Hmm, you seem very talented as a trainer. Perhaps you might consider participating in the Pokemon League. Who knows, you might end up as the new Champion oh Hoenn!" Brendan advised.

" You flatter me, Brendan. There's no way I'll be able to defeat Steven…" Sara trailed off, daydreaming. " Anyway, here's your winnings-" Brendan gave her 3000 Pokedollars "- and good luck for the rest of your journey. I think we will meet again someday. Until then, I will train harder and hopefully we can battle again. Goodbye!" With that, he continued down the route, waving at Sara. " Good luck, Brendan." She yelled. " I'm sure you'll do well!" Brendan gave her thumbs up as her walked down the lane.

" You did really well, Zigzagoon." Sara complimented. _Yes, quite surprising, the outcome of this battle,_ Zigzagoon purred. " Wait…you can talk!" Sara exclaimed, extremely surprised._ Yes. Why not? All of us can. _Zigzagoon said. _Although you're the first human who totally understands our language,_ he admits.

_Is this one of my abilities? I wonder…will my other gifts be as interesting and special as this?_ Sara mused as she stroked Zigzagoon's fur. " Let's go train, my friends!" Sara said cheerfully while releasing her fellow Pokemon from their Pokeballs. Her Pokemon cheered as they followed her through the dewy grass, training for battles to come. Little do they know that they have a great task to complete….

NEXT EPISODE

Sara finally has access to Route 102 after that Pokemaniac moved away disappointed. Turned out to be his own footprint after all…what a waste of time. Meeting more trainers, she will gain more experience while her pokemon gain strength, getting closer to their goal to be the greatest Pokemon Trainer in Hoenn.


	4. New Pokemon and Evolution

**4. New Pokemon and Evolution**

" Okay, according to this map, we are now in Route 102," Sara mumbled with her face buried in the humungous map. " They should make smaller maps for us trainers. Look at the size of this map!" she grumbled, folding the map and placing it into her backpack.

" Hey, you there! Want to battle me?" a voice called out. Turning towards the direction of the voice, she saw a teenager about her age run up to her. " Sure, why not?" Sara grinned. " Okay. Each of us can use up to three pokemon, without time limits. Is that okay with you?" he panted, quite winded after his run. " Bring it on!" Sara said.

" Come out, Zigoon!" the boy called. " Zigoon-zii!" the Zigzagoon appeared in battle mode.

" Torchic, go!" Sara cried. " Torr-chic-chic!" Torchic chirped then proceeded to rub herself against Sara. " Ha ha, that tickles, Torchic! Battle first, affection later, OK?" _Alright. I've been itching to battle for some time now._ Torchic quipped.

" Growl at it, Torchic! Then follow it up with a Tackle attack!" Sara shouted.

" Evade both Attacks now. Then use Tail Whip!" the boy said. He definitely wasn't one to shout his commands to his Pokemon. His Zigzagoon cowered at Torchic's Growl, thus lowering its Attack but it did not stop it from evading Torchic's Tackle. Right after landing on the grass, it wagged its tail in a friendly way, lowering Torchic's Defense in turn.

" Tackle it now, Zigoon!" the boy cried, apparently referring to his Zigzagoon. " Wait for it to come near you then use Ember on Zigoon, okay Torchic?" Sara said softly to Torchic. Torchic nodded, then stood its ground. As Zigoon leapt into the air to ram into Torchic, Torchic released a stream of fire right into its face. Zigoon was unable to avoid it due to the fact that it was airborne.

Zigoon fell to the ground where it remained still for a moment. It then staggered to its feet, rather shakily before falling down, unable to continue battling.

" Thank you, Zigoon. You deserve a good rest." The boy mumbled his thanks to his fallen pokemon. He held out Zigoon's Pokeball. A red beam of light came out, hitting Zigoon and taking it into the Pokeball. " Your turn now, Tado." A Water/Grass Element pokemon appeared on the battlefield. A large leaf nearly shadowed its miniature form.

" Lotadlotadlo!" called the overeager Lotad, quite unable to remain still. " What's that?" Sara wondered as she took her Pokedex out, pointing it at Tado. _Lotad, the Water/Grass element pokemon. It used to live on land but changed its habitat due to the growth of the leaf on its head, making the leaf to heavy for the Lotad without support._ her Pokedex explained. " Cool…I'll have to get one later." She muttered.

" Torchic, return!" Torchic turned into a red beam of light and went back into its Ball. " Zigzagoon, I choose you!" Sara shouted.

" Zigzagoon!" Zigzagoon's demeanor showed only too plainly its eagerness to battle.

" Tackle Tado!" Sara encouraged her Zigzagoon. "Evade Tackle now!" the boy said. Tado prepared to leap aside. Before it could do this, Sara shouted, " Now Headbutt!" Zigzagoon's reckless charge did not slow down; on the contrary, its speed increased. At the same time, it lowered its head, attacking Tado. Tado's HP went down to the yellows and its Flinched in surprise. " Finish this with another Headbutt!" Sara cried.

Due to the closeness of the two pokemon, the Headbutt caused a Critical Hit, which also spelt the end for Tado.

" Tado return." The boy said, somewhat dispirited. " Now for my final pokemon," he declared. "Go, Poochyena!"

A Dark element pokemon materialized in front of Zigzagoon, barking non-stop. "Rest now, Zigzagoon. Your turn now, Wurmple!" Sara called out.

The boy stared unbelievably at Wurmple, then laughed hysterically. " HA HA HA HA HA! You actually want to use a Wurmple against my Poochyena? Bad choice, miss…Poochyena's my first pokemon, making it the strongest of them all. And you're using a Wurmple to compete? HAHAHA!" the boy doubled over with laughter.

" Grr! How dare you insult Wurmple! You'll pay for this! Tackle Poochyena now!" Sara fumed. Wurmple, also greatly angered by the jeering, rammed hard into Poochyena, causing nothing but minor damage. " Wow, he is not kidding when he said Poochyena is strong. Wurmple barely scratched its HP! I'd better be careful…" Sara thought.

" Huh. What a lame move," the boy laughed. " Poochyena, show them _your_ Tackle."

Poochyena's Tackle made Wurmple soar into the air. When it landed, Sara could see that it suffered great damage. " Are you okay, Wurmple?" she asked, concerned. Wurmple nodded, yet seemed to be close to fainting after the impact. "Hang in there, my friend." Sara called out as Wurmple made its way back to its end of the field. Suddenly Wurmple looked at the bright sun and began spewing a sticky thread around itself, forming a cocoon. " What…" Sara muttered, full of surprise.

Suddenly, a bright glow engulfed Wurmple. " Wurmple!" it cried out. When the light faded, Wurmple was no longer there. In its place was…

" Silcoon!" the new pokemon rasped. " Wow, you evolved," Sara exclaimed in awe. " Can you battle?" Sara asked, for Silcoon looked quite vulnerable to attacks. Silcoon nodded (or at least tried to) and faced Poochyena.

" How touching." The boy sneered. " Tackle to finish it off, Poochyena." Sara shut her eyes, unwilling to see her pokemon faint. But….

" WHAT!" the boy yelled. Silcoon appeared to have used Harden, making its white cocoon tougher. The Tackle hardly affected it. " Yay! Good job, Wur…I mean Silcoon!" Sara cried. " Now use String shot to slow Poochyena down!"

Silcoon sprayed a huge amount of the same sticky substance that it had used earlier at Poochyena. Poochyena's legs were caught in the netting, rendering it helpless on the ground. " Good! Now Tackle it until it faints!" Sara commanded.

After three Tackles, the Poochyena's head hit the ground, quite unable to battle. "Oh crap. I lost." The boy muttered, returning Poochyena back into its Pokeball. " Here's your prize money." He handed a wad of Pokedollars to Sara. Sara shook his hand warmly after receiving her prize. " Your pokemon fight very well. What's your name?" the boy enquired. " I am Sara. And you?" " Cole. I hope we can meet again. Bye." With that sudden end to the conversation, he departed for Oldale to heal his pokemon.

" Come out, all of you." Torchic, Zigzagoon and Poochyena (not Cole's mind you!) appeared in front of her. Silcoon, who was already out, simply stayed on her grassy patch and didn't move. " All of you did very well in this battle, and I'm really proud of you guys." Sara said. Out of the blue, a Ralts appeared beside Torchic, startling it. Torchic cried out in alarm and backed away from Ralts.

" What wrong?" Sara quickly scanned the area. Seeing nothing wrong, she turned to face Torchic. " What's wrong, girl? Did something frighten you?" she cooed. Torchic calmed down and said, _there's a wild p-pokemon behind you._

" Where?" Sara looked around once more. This time, her eye caught a blur of green and white. Focusing on the 'object', she realized it was a Ralts. " What, are you afraid of this Ralts?" _Wait, _Ralts_! Aren't they rare?_ She thought.

_I definitely am,_ a high-pitched female voice was heard. " Wait…you read my thoughts?" Sara exclaimed. _Sure,_ Ralts shrugged. _I'm a Psychic pokemon, remember? _"Oh yeah. I forgot. Sorry." Sara said sheepishly. Ralts waved the comment away. _No matter. OK, back to your question. You're right, I'm rare. That's because I am drawn to positive emotions given out by people. I feed on it. _It explained. _Your pokemon felt happy at your praise and radiated a lot of happiness. That's why I am here._

" Do you realize that I can capture you?" Sara asked her(Ralts). _Of course I am. The reasons I am here are because of the radiation of your happiness and…w-well…I want to belong to you. _She admitted. _Don't worry. I mean you no harm,_ she added hastily when she saw Sara's look of caution. " But why -" Sara was interrupted my Ralts, who said, _we Ralts like positive feelings, as I told you earlier. Problem is, it's rather hard for us to get our food since most Trainers lose to other stronger ones here. Most of the emotions radiated are pride and depression. Our species is slowly depleting and we needed a food source. That's why the news broadcast a few days ago stated that there were many more Ralts sightings these days._

" Oh, so that's it. Is it okay with you, my friends?" turning to face her pokemon. _Fine. _Silcoon shrugged._ A new partner! A new partner!_ Torchic and Zigzagoon chanted. Poochyena opened one sleepy eye ( it had been sleeping through the whole ordeal) and nodded, them drifted back to sleep.

Sara grinned and pulled out a Pokeball. Ralts beat her to pushing the button and was immediately swallowed by the red light. Seconds later, Ralts reappeared and sighed, _Finally…a home._

Sara watched it thoughtfully for a moment then her face broke into a huge smile. _New day, new pokemon. There's always something new for me to see about this beautiful world,_ Sara mused. She ran forwards and said, " Who wants a battle? First one to catch me battles first! Excluding Silcoon, of course." She shouted at her pokemon far behind her. _Coming! Bags I battle first!_ Every pokemon shouted and ran after her as the last dew on the grass evaporated to be one with the sky.

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Is this chapter nice? I worked hard for three days for this, so I consider it as a job well done. I hope the readers will continue following Sara's adventures throughout Hoenn to be a Pokemon Master…and to save the world.

NEXT EPISODE:

Sara reaches Petalburg City, where she meets Norman, the Gym Leader of Petalburg City who also happened to be May's father. Max, May's younger brother, is with him. As she leaves the Petalburg Gym, she runs into Wally and helps him to capture his first pokemon (guess what pokemon it is!).


	5. Petalburg At Last!

**5. Petalburg At Last!**

After some training with wild pokemon and several pokemon Trainers, Sara and her pokemon finally set foot on the firm ground of Petalburg City. " Wow," Sara murmured, astounded. The buildings, which were 2D in the games, are much more beautiful in reality. Reality in the Pokemon World, that is.

Sara stood at the entrance of Petalburg City, enraptured by what she saw. " Hi there!" A cheerful male voice said behind her. Startled, Sara jumped a foot into the air and whirled around to face the person. When she saw the man, she gasped in surprise. It was Norman. To be precise, he was the Gym Leader of the Petalburg City Gym.

" Sorry miss. Did I startle you?" he enquired apologetically. " W-well, you d-did. Sort of," Sara stammered, awed at the sight of the five feet, eight-inch tall man. Sara felt very small, like a bug in front of an elephant. She cowered (not out of fear, mind you!), her hand reaching out towards her belt where her Pokeballs are,

Noticing her reaction, Norman sighed. " Well, I guess that answers my question." "N-no sir. It-it's just that…this is the first time I've met a Gym Leader, and uhh…." Sara trailed off, unable to speak clearly in his presence.

" It's OK. You might feel overwhelmed at the sight of me, but at least you won't be afraid of a child. Meet my son, Max." he said. Seemingly out of nowhere, a boy around the age of eight appeared beside his father. He looked like a miniature copy of his father. " Hi! I'm Max! What's your name?" he quipped in a cheerful voice not unlike his father's.

Sara relaxed. " I'm Sara, a Pokemon trainer. I want to collect all eight Badges and challenge the Elite Four in the hopes of becoming the Pokemon Champion." She answered. " That's a common aim for many Trainers." Norman said, examining her from top to toe. " You seem to be very talented." " Why do you say so?" Sara asked, blushing slightly. " Well, look at your Pokemon." Having said this, he pointed at Torchic, who came out of its pokeball for a breath of fresh air. Torchic faced Norman and cocked her head. _What's happening Sara? _She enquired curiously, staring at Norman. " Nothing is wrong, dear. Just carry on doing whatever you were doing earlier." Sara whispered to Torchic. Torchic chirped and continued minding her own business, ignoring the two humans. Sara returned her gaze to Norman.

" Torchic?" Sara said, puzzled. " What's the matter with it?"

" Relax. Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to point out that your pokemon are very close to you. It is also at a good level, suggesting that you had trained it well." Norman explained. " Oh." " Why don't you release your remaining pokemon? I'm sure they would like to come out of their Pokeballs." Norman said. " Of course. Come on out, Silcoon, Zigzagoon, Poochyena, Lotad. Enjoy yourselves!" Sara cried.

" Lotad!" Lotad cheered, and quickly waddled to the nearby pond.

" Zigoon-goon!" Zigzagoon appeared and began chasing its tail.

Poochyena barked his pleasure and raspy sound issued from Silcoon.

" Hmm…a variety of different elements. Not bad at all." Norman mumbled. " Is that Lotad newly caught?" he asked. " Yes. I just caught it at Route 102." Sara said. "How did you know?" she asked curiously. " That's easy. Apart from the low level of your Lotad, its eyes suggest that it neither likes nor dislikes you." Norman said.

There was a silence in the air after this comment. Sara broke it and said, " You know, both of you look like someone I've met earlier in Littleroot." Sara said upon closer inspection. " " Someone in Littleroot, you say?" Max butted in. " I think I know who that is!" " How do you know?" Sara asked him, a trifle surprised. " The person you were talking about is a girl wears a red bandanna on her head and carries her pouch on her waist, am I right?" Sara nodded, mystified. _How does _he _know?_ Max's next sentence answered her query. " Most probably that was May. She's my sister." Max stated. Sara stared at him then at his father. " That means that…May's father is the Gym Leader of Petalburg City!" she cried.

" The only one and no other." Norman made a stately bow in her direction. When he saw Sara's shocked features, he went into peals of laughter. " Ha ha ha!" he boomed. The laughter startled Sara even more. " You didn't expect your friend to have a Gym Leader as your father, did you?" he teased. " Well, no, I didn't. I wouldn't have dreamt of it. Wow. A Gym Leader father. How awesome." She said softly.

Sara's snapped out of her thoughts. " Hey, since you're a Gym Leader, can I battle you?" " Ah. No, I'm sorry. Not yet." He admitted. Seeing Sara's downcast look, he added, " Tell you what. I'll battle you after you obtained four Badges, OK? I'm too strong for you to handle right now." " Yes, my dad's really strong you'll _never_ defeat him." Max said proudly. Sara glared at him. " WHAT MADE YOU THINK I CAN'T DEFEAT YOUR FATHER? I'LL COME BACK AFTER I GET THE FIRST FOUR BADGES, YOU SEE IF I DON'T!" she screamed, making Max and Norman cover their ears with their hands.

" OK, OK. I get the message." Max muttered. "Well, that's settled then! Why don't we go to my gym and have a bite?" Norman said rather shakily. Sara nodded, still too angry about the remark to do anything else. " Whoa, dad. We'll have to watch our every step in case she blows up like that again." Max whispered (too loudly) to his father. " HEY! I heard that!" A yell was heard somewhere behind the father and son. "Oops. RUN!" Max screamed and ran away, out of Sara's sight. Norman watched his son run away from the fierce Sara.

With a slight sweatdrop, Norman turned towards her and apologized for his son's behaviour. " Sorry about that. Max doesn't really watch what he says." He said. Sara waved the apology away. "Apology accepted." Sara grinned. " Let's go to the Gym now. I can't wait to see it!"

AT THE PETALBURG CITY GYM…………………………………………………..

" Whoa." That was all Sara could say when she saw the tall building before her, centuries old yet somehow still managing to uphold its splendour. " Do you like it?" Norman asked her with a soft smile pressed on his face. When Sara nodded, his smile became a huge grin and he said, " then welcome to the Petalburg City Gym!" Sara cheered. " Let's go in now!"

When they entered through the sliding doors, a small head poked out of one of the many doors in the gym. " Whew, they're not here yet." Max said, relieved. " Ahem." Sara coughed lightly. " Uh-oh! I mean, finally you came. You seem to have taken forever to get here." He said sheepishly.

" Come here, kiddo. I'm not going to devour you." Sara sighed at the eight-year-old boy. " Does that mean you're not angry anymore?" he squeaked. When Sara nodded, he came out and stood in front of them. " Well, are we going to eat or not? I'm hungry." Sara and Norman looked at each other for a moment before laughing.

After the meal…………………………………………………………………………..

" Thanks for everything, sir." Sara thanked the Gym Leader. Norman waved it away. " No problem. Anything for a lady. Especially for one of my daughter's friends." He winked at her. Sara smiled happily. " I must get going, sir -" she started but was cut short by Norman. " No need to call me 'sir.' Norman will do." " OK then. Bye, Nor-" once again Sara was cut short by the opening of the great double sliding doors. A scrawny boy stood there, panting and apparently out of breath.

" Sir Norman, I would like to have a pokemon before I have to go to Verdanturf." He wheezed. Norman stopped him. "Wait, let me think…. Oh yes, you're Wally from next door, right? Well, why don't you just capture one?" Norman said. " I don't know how…." Wally faltered.

" Don't know how? Hmm…this is a little complicated since I can't leave the Gym uncared for and the security guards have gone off on their lunch break…I know! Sara." Norman said. Sara looked at him curiously. " Oh?" Norman asked, slightly surprised at her reaction. " Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't told you of my plan, have I?" he asked. Sara shook her head witheringly. _Geez, so forgetful._ " Why don't you go with Wally to catch him his first pokemon?" Norman said. " Huh? OK, no problem." Sara said. " Come on Wally. Bye Norman!" " Goodbye, Sara." Norman answered.

Route 102………………………………………………………………………………

"Okay, we're here." Wally and Sara had reached a grassy area that was, of course, supposed to hide wild pokemon. Suddenly….

A Ralts appeared in front of them. It looked rather thin, and its movement was slow and sluggish. _Rita…where are you?_ It called. _Rita? Is this her?_ Sara released Ralts from its Pokeball while directing her thought at the Ralts. _Yes! Rita! I feared something bad might happen to you!_ The Ralts cried out joyfully. Rita (Sara's Ralts) answered back happily.

Their speech was like normal English to Sara's ears, but it meant nothing but Pokemon talk to Wally. " Uh, Sara?" he asked shyly, breaking Sara's concentration. "Huh? Yes?" she blurted out then silently admonished herself. _Why must I always act like an idiot?_ She thought frustratingly. " Shouldn't we be catching a pokemon? Won't that Ralts do? I heard its rare, so I guess I'm lucky." He said. After an afterthought, he added " And why did you release your Ralts, Sara?" " Umm…letting it make friends." Sara made excuses for her extraordinary behaviour.

" Oh." Wally said, returning his attention once more to the wild Ralts. " Hey Ralts." He called. Both Ralts looked at him in amazement. " Uhh… not you. The wild one." He pointed at the wild Ralts. The Ralts appeared to be afraid and was slowly backing away into the shrubbery nearby. " No, please come back!" he cried out desperately. The Ralts, sensing his desperation, halted. " Please. I want a friend." He said, now sobbing lightly. The wild Ralts surveyed him for a moment and asked Ralts, _should I go with him? He seems lonely, and I can get a good supply of happiness from him._ Ralts a.k.a. Rita looked at its owner, who shrugged. _Go ahead,_ Ralts said._ I can feel that he will make you happy. My trainer thinks so too, _Ralts said. The wild Ralts looked incredulously at Sara then said, _is she your trainer? Yes she is, and I am very happy staying with her as her as her pokemon. You will be happy too. I can feel it, Razzie._ Ralts reassured the wild Ralts. _If you say so._ Having made up its mind, the wild Ralts turned and went towards Wally.

Wally looked at it through watery eyes and said," Are you willing to be my friend? Do say yes." When Ralts nodded, he smiled and gently pressed a Pokeball to its soft body. Ralts became one with the light and went into the Pokeball. It didn't even struggle once. Wally picked up the Pokeball and looked at it. Its red top gleamed brightly in the afternoon sun's glare. " My very first pokemon." He whispered happily.

Sara smiled softly and recalled her Ralts. _I guess its time for us to go. Let's leave them here together with each other._ She walked out of Route 102 and back into the peaceful Petalburg City, leaving Wally and his pokemon to rejoice in the shady enclosure in Route 102.

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So how was the chapter? OK? Very Good? Bad? Terrible? I tried my best to improve my story as I go on, so give some feedback.

NEXT EPISODE…

Sara enters the dark and spooky Petalburg Forest, said to be full of Bug Pokemon, but not before obtaining two new pokemon friends. There she will be challenged by Bug Catchers mostly and will have a surprise encounter with May. Little did she know that evil was lurking around justthe corner….


	6. One Surprise, One Evil Encounter

PS: I realized that I had spelt Petalburg Woods as Petalburg Forest, sorry! (Don't beat me up!)

**6. One Surprise, One Evil Encounter**

Sara idly fingered the two new Pokeballs that hung on her belt. They contained her two newly caught pokemon, Wingull and Taillow, which she had caught at Route 104. Suddenly, a boy wearing rich clothing came up to her and asked her for a pokemon battle.

" Yes, sure! It will be my pleasure." She replied pleasantly. The boy smiled. "Shall we start now? First of all, I would like to introduce myself. I am Wilson, and I challenge you to a pokemon battle!" he said.

Sara nodded. " And I'm Sara. Go Torchic!" she cried.

"Torr-chic-tor-chic!"

" My pokemon shall be…Zigzagoon!" Wilson said.

A swath of red light engulfed the area in front of Wilson. A moment later a Zigzagoon materialized in front of Torchic and Sara. " Zigzagoon!" it cried.

" Tackle it, Torchic!" Sara shouted. " Dodge it then Tackle in return!" Wilson commanded. The Zigzagoon purred and leapt out of harm's way. Before it could launch its attack, Sara asked Torchic to use Ember. The Ember did a decent amount of damage to Zigzagoon, not to mention Burning it.

" Zigzagoon! Darn it!" Wilson cried out, frustrated. " Return Zigzagoon." He muttered, holding out a Pokeball. Zigzagoon returned into its Pokeball. At the same time, the boy threw another Pokeball into the field. A Dustox appeared, looking menacing with its great bulbous eyes and sickly purple colour.

" Hey! Isn't that one of Wurmple's evolutions?" Sara exclaimed surprised. " Yes, it is. Cascoon evolves into Dustox whereas Silcoon evolves into Beautifly. I've heard that Wurmple's evolution into either Silcoon or Cascoon depends on the time of day. Rumour has it that it evolves into Silcoon when exposed to sunlight. Where Silcoon evolves in exposure to sunlight, Cascoon evolves when moonlight falls on it." Wilson explained.

" I see. So a Silcoon will evolve into Beautifly, am I correct?" Sara enquired. Wilson nodded and said, " Dustox! Poisonpowder now!" " Uh-oh! Counter with Ember! NOW!" Sara shouted, panicking. The Poisonpowder was burned away by Ember. Sara breathed a sigh of relief. _Until_ she heard Wilson's next command. " Poison Sting!" Torchic was unable to evade the attack at such close range. Luckily, the attack did not poison her. _That was close,_Torchic chirped nervously.

" Whew. Okay Torchic, Ember once more!" Sara called out towards her pokemon. A stream of fire was unleashed from Torchic's orange beak, totally covering Dustox's torso in flame. The Dustox screeched in agony as the attack caused a Critical Hit before dropping to the ground unconscious.

" Yes! We did it again, Torchic!" Sara cheered. Suddenly, nothing could be seen of Torchic except for a white light surrounding it. " Wow, Torchic's evolving," Sara whispered in awe and pride for her pokemon.

" Combusken!" The newly evolved pokemon cried. The ex-Torchic now resembled a young chicken standing upright with sharp talons and a muscular body. _How's my new look?_ She asked her Trainer. " You look great, Combusken." Sara giggled.

" Here is the prize money," Wilson interrupted. He handed her a huge amount of cash. Sara gaped at it for a moment before stuttering, " B-but that's a LOT of money! How can you afford to give out so much!" Wilson looked down in embarrassment. " I come from a wealthy family, you see. My father owns a mansion just beyond Petalburg Woods. Come and visit me anytime." " Thanks, I will." Sara nodded. " Then I wish you good luck for the rest of your journey. Goodbye, Miss…" he faltered. " Umm, I don't seem to recall your name," he admitted, a red blush creeping its way to his cheeks. " I am Sara," she reminded him gently. " Oh, yes. That's it. Goodbye then, Miss Sara." He bowed deeply and said, " I wouldn't block a lady's path for anything." He winked at her and walked away.

" My, he's a strange one," Sara commented while watching his retreating back. _Does the Keeper fancy someone?_ A teasing voice was heard. " No, of course not!" Sara cried, blushing deeply._ It's OK, I was just joking,_ Combusken shrugged with a twinkle in her eye. " How do you know that I'm the Legendary Keeper?" she whispered as she sidled nearer to her pokemon. Combusken was now as tall as her, and not nearly as cute as before. Combusken tilted its head towards her in surprise. _How, you ask me? Why, every single pokemon knows you!_ " I never knew that I was well-known," Sara chuckled. Combusken laughed as well.

After a few minutes spent laughing, they reached the entrance of Petalburg Woods. " Whoa," Sara gasped as she stopped before the forest of towering green trees. _Let's go in, Sara. Or are you too afraid? _Combusken teased. " WHAT!" Sara yelled, then stopped when she saw Combusken's look, she was just teasing. " Aah, fine. Come on, let's go."

Petalburg Woods………………………………………………………………………..

Sara shivered. " It sure is creepy around here." Combusken agreed. Suddenly, a shadow jumped in front of Sara, making her scream in terror. " I'm sorry, miss. Did I scare you?" a young boy asked apologetically. " You sure did," Sara quipped, recovering from her shock. " What do you want?"

" May we battle? Two-on-two, with no time limits. Is that agreed on? By the way, I'm Bug Catcher Jones." The boy stated. " Pleased to meet you. I'm Sara." Sara greeted him. " Uh, just a minor setback. Where do we battle in this place so overrun with grass?"

" Easy. Ninjask, use Cut on the grass," Jones commanded, releasing a pokemon. Ninjask, a yellow-and-black striped bug, appeared and began Cutting the grass. In less than a minute, it had cleared a space wide enough for a battle to commence. " It is ready." Jones proudly announced. Sara marveled at Ninjask's high Speed.

" My first Pokemon shall be Ninjask." Jones declared. Ninjask faced Sara on its side of the clearing. " In that case, I choose…Combusken!" Sara said. In a flash, Combusken had moved from Sara's side to the battlefield.

" Ninjask, use Agility!" the boy called. Ninjask began to fly around in fast circles, increasing its Speed and confusing Combusken at the same time. "Trying to kill two birds with one stone, huh? Combusken, focus your attention then use Ember in a circle to eliminate the illusions!" Sara cried.

" Nope, not so fast. Look at Ninjask. Its Speed has been increasing at the end of every move, thanks to its Speed Boost ability. You'll miss nearly every time you strike," Jones said, smirking. Meanwhile, Combusken's Ember had hit its target, the real Ninjask. The illusions (which was a result of its amazingly high Speed) disappeared as well. Nanjask hovered weakly a foot above the ground, being sapped of most its HP." _You're _wrong. It _is_ going to be quick." Sara corrected him, returning his smirk with one of her own.

" No, Ninjask! Use Tackle!" Jones cried rather desperately. As quick as lightning, Ninjask rammed hard into Combusken, deducting its HP. " Retaliate with your own Tackle!" Sara cried. Due to its close range, Combusken's attack hit Ninjask head-on, making it faint.

" Ninjask!" Jones yelled, horrified. Recalling his pokemon, he released a Shroomish from its Pokeball.

" Shrrooomish!" Shroomish cried out in its shrill voice.

" Wow, a Shroomish." Sara craned her neck to get a better look at the orange skinned, green-spotted pokemon. " I'll recall my Combusken now, replacing it with Silcoon," she said. Combusken became one with the beam of light, disappearing into the Pokeball.

" S-silc-coon." Silcoon came out, rasping.

" Absorb, Shroomish." Jones said. He appeared confident of his chances of winning against Silcoon. Jones's next words confirmed this. " This is going to be a piece of cake. A Silcoon in battle indeed." He chuckled. " How dare you underestimate my Silcoon!" Sara fumed. " Harden before Shroomish reaches you, Silcoon! We'll show brats that Silcoons are NOT weak!" Just in time. Shroomish' claws raked uselessly at Silcoon's hardened body, and failing to use Absorb.

" Now String Shot!" Sara encouraged the unmoving Silcoon. A sticky thread issued from Silcoon's mouth (if it has one) and hit its target; Shroomish. The foe was rendered helpless on the ground, totally covered in the white web.

" Now Tackle it till it faints!" Sara shouted. After two Tackles, Shroomish looked close to fainting. " Shroomish, use Absorb when Silcoon approaches you," Jones said. Shroomish obeyed and managed to slash Silcoons casing, absorbing its strength.

" Oh no, Silcoon!" Sara exclaimed, worried about her pokemon's well being. Silcoon wasn't greatly affected despite the draining away of its strength by Shroomish. Suddenly, a white flash enveloped Silcoon. A butterfly-shaped pokemon slowly emerged from a tear in the cocoon. Sara held her breath. When the evolution process was over, a Beautifly (a Bug/Flying element) hovered over the spot where Silcoon had been,

" Beautifly!" It trilled.

" That's beautiful…" Sara murmured. An idea struck her, and she said, " Stun Spore now!" she commanded her pokemon. A spray of orange spores spread itself from Beautifly's stunningly beautiful pair of wings. Shroomish cried out when it felt the spores hit its body; the spores stung, paralyzing it.

" First Ninjask, then Shroomish. How shameful of me to lose to a girl." Jones muttered, shaking his head vigorously as if to shake the thought out of his head. " Finish it with Tackle, Beautifly," Sara cried out triumphantly, oblivious to her opponent's mutterings. Shroomish fainted, unable to battle any longer. Sara recalled Beautifly and gazed at Jones, whose shoulders were sagging with defeat.

_I lost to a girl…what will my parents and friends say?_ He sighed. Suddenly, a warm hand descended upon his shoulder. " Don't fret, my friend. What difference is there whether you lose to a girl or a boy?" Sara asked gently. " What difference? It makes all the difference in the world! I mean, girls are weak and…." He trailed of, cowering under Sara's angry glare. " _AND_?" Sara whispered, barely able to suppress her rage. " And, uh, cute. That's it. Cute." He faltered. Sara calmed down. " I forgive you this time, but don't think you can get away so easily next time!" she threatened. " Oh, of course, of course. Anything to please you. Here's the money. Bye!" He threw a handful of Pokedollars at her face and ran for his life, quite terrified of this ferocious girl, who seemed to want to devour him whole.

" Phew. I shouldn't have lost my temper, but he did touch a nerve." Sara thought rather shakily after her recent outburst. All of a sudden, footsteps were heard somewhere ahead of her. Tensing, Sara released Beautifly and waited for the person to arrive. _Crunch. _Went a foot on the dry grass, a step closer. _Crunch,_ SNAP! Sara jumped. It seemed that the person, whoever he, or she, was, had stepped on a branch or twig, making it snap. Sara glanced round nervously. No one. Yet. Suddenly…. " Hey, Sara! I didn't expect to see you here!" a familiar voice shouted happily. " M-May?" Sara stammered, slowly turning around. " My goodness, you gave me a huge shock, coming as stealthily as you did. Almost had a heart attack." She continued, very much relieved now that the tense moment was over.

" Sorry about that, I was watching out for disgusting Bug pokemon, they're said to lurk around bushes and tall grass." May shuddered. " Do you hate bugs, May?" Sara asked curiously. " Yup. All except one. Beautifly. Colourful shimmery wings, beautiful, huge, puppy-dog eyes…." May said dreamily. " Do you mean her?" Sara asked May, showing her Beautifly who was concealed behind her. " Oh cool! A Beautifly! For real!" May screamed eagerly. " Can I touch it?" she asked timidly, barely able to conceal her eagerness. Sara nodded. " I don't see why you have to get so worked up over _one _Beautifly," she commented. " Aah, you don't understand the beauty of colourful powdered wings and graceful movements, do you Sara?" May teased. " No, I guess not," Sara said then both of them laughed softly.

" H-help me!" A cry cut through the air like a bullet. The two girls looked around in alarm. " Did you hear that?" May asked fearfully. Sara nodded and gulped. At the moment, a middle aged man wearing a scientist's uniform bumped into May. Looking distinctly ruffled, he gasped, " You've got to help me! A thief had stolen my Devon Goods! You have to get them back!" He sounded almost hysterical.

May and Sara gaped at him in surprise. Then May took charge of the situation. " Well sir, I don't know who you are, but the Goods sound important to you. So I'll help you retrieve the Devon Goods," she declared. " I'll help too," Sara chimed in. " I'll start by scouring the area. Who knows, I might run into the thief." May said. " I'll search around here," Sara said. " T-thank y-you!" the man stammered. The two girls smiled reassuringly at him. " Every thing will be all right. Trust us," Sara said warmly. The man relaxed. May moved into another area in the hopes of finding the thief.

" Are you sticking with me, or are you going to search yourself?" Sara asked the man. " I'd better stay with you. I currently have no pokemon in my possession, so a fat lot of good it will do to me if I found that rascal." The man shook his head sadly. " By the way, I'm a researcher for the Devon Corporation in Rustboro City." " I'm Sara," Sara said, shaking his hand. " Let's start searching!"

" What do you know," a cold voice said somewhere in front of them. A burly man stepped in front of the duo, blocking their path. He wore a white, long-sleeve shirt with gray trousers and a cap to match. " The Devon Corp researcher and a little kid." He sneered. " S-save me!" the Devon researcher cried and hid behind Sara's back. "Gee, what bravery," Sara teased. The researcher didn't reply her comment. " What do you want?" the intruder said roughly.

" I'm here for the parcel, if you please." Sara answered coolly. " I don't please. And we Team Universal need this Devon Goods to aid our plan for Taking over the world!" he said smugly.

_Team Universal, huh? Is this the evil the voice warned me about?_ Sara sighed. "Then there is no choice. I challenge you to a pokemon battle. Whoever wins owns the Devon Goods. Is that OK?" she said. " Fine, whatever. Winning a girl should be easy." He drawled almost lazily. " _Easy_?" Sara countered sarcastically. " I'll give you easy. An easy defeat, that is!" Her normally sapphire-blue eyes turned bright silver as she spoke. "Those eyes…."The Team Universal member wondered. _The Legendary Keeper!_ He glared at Sara.

" I agree, but I want to add another condition. If you lose, you're coming with me. You're going to be needed in the launching of our plan…yes, perhaps the most important of all!" he stated. Sara gulped then shouted back, " No way am I following you! Zigzagoon, go!" " Poochyena, I choose you." The man said.

" Z-zigoon!"

" Poochyena!"

Both pokemon appeared facing each other and growling menacingly. " Tackle that Poochyena!" Sara cried. " Evade, Poochyena." Poochyena jumped high into the air evading Zigzagoon's attack. " Now use Tail Whip then Headbutt when it lands!" Sara shouted to her pokemon.

Zigzagoon wagged its tail in a friendly manner, causing Poochyena's defense to lower. As it falls victim to the force of gravity, Zigzagoon butted it on its underside. Poochyena howled in pain, unintentionally raising its attack stat. " Poochyena! Get up and battle, you useless dog!" the thief snarled. Sara's eyes flashed a very bright silver, even brighter than before at this insult.

" DO. NOT. _EVER_. ABUSE. YOUR. POKEMON!" she snarled back at him. The Team Universal member flinched and did not reply. " Finish this with a Tackle, Zigzagoon. End your foe's suffering." She mumbled. Zigzagoon heard her and rammed into Poochyena, though not as hard as usual. Poochyena's head drooped down onto the grassy floor of Petalburg Woods, unable to battle. Growling angrily, the man recalled his fallen Poochyena and hesitantly handed her the Devon Goods. Sara took it from his hands and stuffed it into her backpack, her eyes reverting back into its normal sapphire-blue.

" Hey, I can't believe you lost to a puny girl, Universal Grunt," a young woman about twenty years of age stepped out noiselessly from behind a tree. She wore navy blue clothing and a sea-blue bandanna on her head. On her blouse was embroidered a big white 'A', the symbol of….

" Team Aqua," the Team Universal Grunt, uh, grunted. " Yes, neither can I, to be frank." A well-controlled male's voice echoed somewhere above the four (don't forget the Devon researcher!). A man jumped down from a fork of a tree. This man was tall and rather thin. His blood-red attire had the symbol 'M' on its front, with black shoes in contrast to bright red. " WILL YOU STOP HUMILIATING ME?" the Universal Grunt yelled. No one paid him any attention.

The Team Magma member looked away from him. His gaze rested on Sara. So did the woman's. Sara shuddered. Their deep, unfeeling eyes were unnerving. " What's this girl doing here anyway?" the Team Magma member stated coolly. " I'm just passing through the Woods. Every one can. Why can't I?" she asked. They were beginning to annoy her. " Go ahead child. We're not interested in little brats." The woman said. Sara's blood boiled. " Why you -" Sara muttered. " Don't answer. Just get out of here!" the terrified voice of the Devon researcher sounded in her ear. Sara jumped violently; she had forgotten all about him. " Let's go then. I won't be seeing you again." She said to the three grown-ups. With that, she walked away from the trio, who happened to be glaring daggers at each other.

" Sara! Are you all right?" May said, full of concern once they found each other some way from the end of Petalburg Woods. Sara smiled wanly." Yes. I'm OK. And we got the Devon Goods!" she exclaimed, smiling broadly now. May squealed. " _REALLY_?"

The Devon researcher nodded. " Yes. Your friend here managed to defeat the thief in a pokemon battle." " Good for you, Sara!" May cheered. " Thanks. Oh, and here's the Devon Goods." She handed the parcel over to the researcher. The researcher received it with many thanks and departed for Rustboro City.

" Phew. What a day," Sara sighed, sitting down on the cold, damp ground. May agreed. " I think it's time for me to get going. I'm heading back to Littleroot to get my Pokedex checked." " And I'm going to Rustboro City to challenge the Gym there and hope to win the Stone Badge." Sara said. " Goodbye!" " Yes, goodbye to you too, Sara!" May said warmly. In her heart, she secretly thought, _you'll be the Pokemon Champion one day. I'm sure of it._

………………………………………………………………………………………….

So how do you like it? Sorry for the long update, I was rather busy. I made an effort to make this chapter as long as I could, so I hope you readers out there enjoy!

NEXT EPISODE….

Sara sets foot on Rustboro City and challenges the Gym Leader there, Roxanne, to a Gym Battle. Will she manage to surface as the victor? At the same time, more thieving occurs in the multi-story building of Devon Corporation, better known as Devon Corp….


	7. Reunion and The Stone Badge

Sorry about not updating sooner, my homework was piling up and I was getting desperate. Don't beat me up…!

PS: Can anyone teach me how to do page breaks? Please? (with puppy-dog begging eyes)

**7. Reunion and The Stone Badge**

" I'm tired out. Let's take a rest, shall we?" Sara sat down on a grassy patch right outside Petalburg Woods. Her Combusken came out of its Pokeball and sat down beside her. Noticing Combusken's worried look, Sara murmured, " What's wrong, Combusken?"

Combusken turned to face her. _That person whom you battled with earlier seemed to recognize you, you know._ " Really?" Sara enquired, a little worried. Combusken nodded and looked up to the clear blue sky. _Yes. You had better be on your guard, Sara._ "I guess so."

Sara followed Combusken's gaze towards the sky. Suddenly, she spotted something flying in the sky, appearing and disappearing randomly into clouds. " What's that?" she asked her Combusken. Combusken looked at the direction she was pointing. _What are you talking about? There is nothing there._ That something, whatever it was, had disappeared. " Just a figment my imagination, I guess." Sara sighed rather disappointedly.

_Hey, there's a building there. Why don't we go in?_ " Well, OK." Sara recalled Combusken and entered the building. It appeared to be a flower shop. A lady, apparently the cashier greeted her and said, " Why, hello there! Are you new here?" " Yes. I just came in here to do some sight-seeing." Sara answered politely.

" Then go ahead. The flowers are not ready for sale yet, though." The lady said rather dolefully. Sara smiled comfortingly. " It's OK. Someday, they will be big enough to sell." The lady smiled in return. " Why don't you look around? It might be fun." "Thank you, I will." Sara said.

" Wow, what a sweet smell!" Sara exclaimed as she smelt a budding plant; its flowers were barely open yet its aroma was very strong and sweet. " Yes, quite exquisite, isn't it?" another lady said beside her. " I agree!" Sara said. The lady smiled." I'm Lisa. I love plants and Berries, so I come here a lot." " I'm Sara. Nice to meet you." Sara replied. Both of them shook hands warmly. " By the way, what are Berries?"

Lisa's expression turned into one of surprise. " You mean you don't even know what Berries ARE?" she exclaimed. Sara nodded sheepishly. " I guess I'll tell you then. There is a wide variety of Berries, and each of them has different uses. For example, Cheri Berries are used to cure paralysis." Lisa said swiftly. Sara nodded again. " Thanks for telling me this." Sara said thankfully. Lisa waved it away. " No problem. Here, let me give you this." She handed a pink heart-shaped thing to Sara. " What's this?" Sara asked, puzzled. "It's a Pecha Berry. Consider it a gift from me." Sara looked at her gratefully. " Thank you." "No problem. Just plant a berry in the place of every one you pick, OK? It's so that the Berries have a chance to reproduce. Let flowers fill the world!" Lisa said passionately. "I will. I promise." Sara said. " Bye now!" Lisa waved at her and then returned her gaze to the flowers in front of her.

Sara exited the flower shop and walked towards the path. Out of nowhere, a boy popped up beside her and held out something flat. "Would you like to have this TM? It contains Bullet Seed. I don't want it, so you can have it." he enquired. Sara looked at the boy. He had rather messy hair but wore neat clothing. " Why thank you. But how do I use it?" she asked him. " Easy! Just let a pokemon hold it and it will learn it in a jiffy. Remember though, a TM is only for one-time use, so think wisely before using one." He explained and disappeared into the shrubbery. Sara stared at the weird shaped thing in her hand.

_Splash!_ A droplet of water landed on her arm. _Splash, splash!_ More droplets fell on her. Sara tried to ignore it and continued walking. _Splitter, splatter, whoosh!_ A sheet of rain came down. Running, Sara hurried towards whatever shelter she could find. "Phew, at least I'm out of the rain." She muttered. _At least I'm not wet._

" May I know you name, miss?" A voice said behind her. Sara turned around. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a man standing near the gigantic doors of a mansion. " Sara." She provided her name to the servant. " Please wait here while I inform my master." He said courteously. A moment later, he reappeared opening the huge doors to welcome her in.

Sara could only gasp in wonder when she saw the splendour the house held. "Sara! Why are you here?" a slightly familiar voice said from above a flight of stairs that seemed to stretch for miles. Sara craned her neck to get a better view of the person. "W-Wilson?" she asked. Wilson grinned and started going down the stairs. Or rather, the stairs was _moving_ him downwards to the floor! Sara gaped. " Moving staircase," Wilson explained. Sara nodded to show that she understood.

" Why are you here?" Wilson repeated his question. He was now standing directly in front of Sara. So close that she could see his chocolate-brown eyes and melting smile. Up close, he was a good head taller than her. Sara swooned. She admired his jet-black hair, the way it spiked out at the right places and how it blended well with his adorable eyes. " Uh, hello? Back to earth with Miss Sara!" Wilson said and waved a hand in front of her face. " W-what?" she asked, confused. " Sorry, I zoned out there." She said sheepishly.

" Finally!" Wilson exclaimed with a sigh. " Why are you here?" he asked. Again, this time stretching each word. " OK, OK, I get the message." Sara giggled. " I, uh, got caught in the storm and ran towards the first form of shelter I saw, which was your house although I didn't know it then. Yeah, that's it." Wilson raised an eyebrow but chose to remain silent. " So, can I stay here temporarily until the downpour stops?" she continued timidly. Wilson smiled broadly. " But of course! Never decline a lady's request!" This comment made Sara giggle again. Wilson laughed softly with her.

" This is the main bathroom, as you can see. And this is my room. This passage leads to the servants' quarters and…." Wilson rattled on, showing her the way around the house. Sara was only half listening. She was busy gazing up at Wilson's face, wondering about the familiarity that did not have anything to do with the two recent encounters.

Flashback….

"Wilson, you going away?" Sara cried tearfully. Wilson nodded sadly. Sara sobbed louder and launched herself into the boy's arms. Wilson rubbed her head affectionately and whispered, " Don't worry, I'll come back and visit you…someday."

_" Wilson, it's time to go!" his mother called from the doorway. His father stood beside her, an older version of Wilson except with steely-blue eyes. " Come on now child, we don't want to be late."_

_Wilson and Sara broke away from their tight hug. Sara whimpered. Wilson's brown eyes looked sad when he gave her a last glance before turning away. At the door, he stopped. His parents were hurrying down the stairs. " We'll meet again. I'm sure of it, Sara." He turned and looked at her; his eyes were shimmering with tears, too. Then he ran down the stairs, past his parents and into the car. " Wilson…I'll miss you."_

_End of flashback_….

" Umm…were you by any chance from America?" she asked tentatively. She then mentally slapped herself. _How could I say something like that?_ In front of her, Wilson froze. Time seemed to stop for a moment. Then he turned around slowly to faced Sara. He looked unbelieving, as if this were all a dream too good to be true. "Yes. Were you from there too?" Wilson asked, more like a whisper than anything. Sara nodded. "Yes. A white stone transported me here." Her eyes were brimmed with tears, causing her vision to blur, but what did she care? " Does that mean that you're Sara True?" he asked softly. Once again, like old times, Sara launched herself into Wilson's open arms. They hugged each other tightly.

" Oh Wilson, I was thinking that I'll never see you again." She said happily. " I gave you my word that we will. And I never break my promises, do I?" he mumbled into her ear. She giggled at the ticklish feeling it gave her. Wilson laughed softly, sounding like leaves rustled by the wind. Sara laughed even harder when she felt his body vibrating slightly with laughter. " Wow, don't vibrate like a cell phone every time you laugh!" she teased and backed away from him, releasing her embrace. " Hey, you did too." He pointed out. This sent both of them into peals of laughter.

" Now, now, what's the racket?" a man's head poked out of a room a few doors away. Sara recognized him as Wilson's dad. " Hi, Uncle. Do you still recognize me?" she said cheerfully. " Hmm…you look familiar. Where have I seen you before?" he scratched his head trying to recollect his memory. " Ah yes, you're my brother's child, right?" "Dad, Uncle's child is Steven Stone, and _he's_ a boy. _She's_ a girl." Wilson pointed out, emphasizing on the 'he' and 'she'.

" Right! How silly of me." His father laughed, a booming laugh that echoed down the corridor. Sara's eyes were as big as marbles. " Your cousin is _Steven Stone_?" she said incredulously. Wilson nodded. " Didn't you know that?" Sara shook her head. " It was through him that I came to know about pokemon. My dad owes it to _his _dad for the non-exhaustible supply of rare stones and gems around Hoenn. You remember that my dad is an ardent collector of rocks, right?" Wilson asked. " Of course! How could anyone possibly forget?" she laughed, remembering the times she visited Wilson's home. All kinds of rocks were there, making his house look like a museum of some sort. Each rock had its own glass casing; the most rare and beautiful had been kept in his father's study.

" Not my brother's, then perhaps my sister." Both of them heard his father mumble. He looked up. " Are you Claire's daughter?" he asked enquiringly. Sara nodded her head. " Of course! I should have realized that, with you inheriting her beautiful glossy hair and slender figure," he exclaimed. Sara blushed. " I'm not _that_ stunning," she admitted. " Nonsense! Now what's your name again? Laura? Belle? Clara?" he started but was interrupted by both Wilson and Sara. " It's Sara!"

" Oh yes. Sara! How could I forget!" he said, beaming at them. Both of them looked at him witheringly. " Well, I guess I should be going." Sara said after an awkward silence. " Goodbye then. I'll escort you to the front door." Wilson offered. Sara accepted gratefully; she hadn't mastered the twists and turns of this gigantic mansion yet. All too soon, they reached the exit of the house. "Goodbye!" Sara said warmly with a touch of sadness in her voice. " Goodbye to you too, and I think we'll meet again someday." Both of them shook hands and Sara departed for Rustboro City.

" Hey sis, want to battle?" a young girl asked when Sara approached the center of a bridge. Sara grinned. " Sure!" After getting a better look, her smile faltered. She rubbed her eyes vigorously and looked again. She was still there. Sara looked to the person on the girl's left. Standing there was another girl looking like a copy of the girl who spoke to her earlier. " Am I seeing double?" Sara asked the girl confused. Both shook their heads. " We're identical twins!" they squealed then giggled. " Kira!" one girl said, pointing at her twin. " Mia!" Kira said, pointing at Mia. " We challenge you to a pokemon battle!" they chanted.

Sara nodded. " OK. How many pokemon are we allowed to use, Mia?" she asked the girl she thought was Mia. " I'm Kira!" she pouted. Sara was taken aback. " Oh, sorry about that. How many pokemon are we allowed to use, Kira?" she repeated her question to the other twin. " Mia and I will be using a pokemon each, while you can have two out at the same time." Kira said.

" Let's roll! Combusken, Ralts, I choose you!" Sara cried enthusiastically. "Lotad!" Kira said. "Seedot!" Mia said. " GO!" both said together. " Combusken, use Peck while Ralts, use Confusion on Seedot!" Sara shouted. Her pokemon obeyed and unleashed their attacks. Both attacks hit their opponent squarely. " Se-e-edot!" the Seedot cried out in pain. So did Lotad. They managed to upright themselves after a few struggles, panting heavily.

" Lotad, use Astonish on Ralts!" Kira cried out. Not only was the Astonish Super Effective on Ralts, it also caused a Critical Hit. Ralts could hardly stand after receiving the attack. _Such a…weak move…shall…not defeat me!_ she said, struggling. _AAAH!_ She emitted an earsplitting cry as a gentle white aura enveloped it. All three Trainers gasped.

" Ralts evolved into a …" Sara was speechless. " Kirlia." The twins chanted. "All right! Kirlia, use Confusion!" Sara cheered. Seedot fainted. " Seedot, return now." Mia said sulkily. " You did a great job out there, Seedot. Rest now." She whispered lovingly to her Seedot, now safely in its Pokeball. " It's up to you, sis." She said, looking at her twin. Kira put on a brave face and nodded.

" Use Nature Power, Lotad." Kira said to her pokemon.

" L-o-otad!" Lotad muttered as it focused its concentration. Suddenly, a huge wave crashed onto the bridge they were battling on, swallowing Sara's pokemon whole. "Combusken! No!" Sara cried out, distressed.

_I'm all right, Sara. Just a little…tired._ Her Combusken's weak voice was heard right after the waves disappeared. " Combusken…." Sara mumble, worried. Combusken was barely visible through the screen of vapour that lingered after the attack. Even so, Sara could feel that her pokemon will not last much longer. " Combusken, use Ember on Lotad! Kirlia, help Combusken by using Confusion." Sara shouted desperately. Their combined attacks collided and hit Lotad, causing it to faint.

" No way! I lost too!" Kira stood there, shocked. " It's just by pure luck," Sara said, offering her hand to the younger girl after healing her Combusken. Kira shook her hand warmly. " Well, goodbye then. I'm heading for Rustboro City to challenge the Gym there." Sara said, waving to the twins. " Bye Sara!" they screamed, waving madly in her direction.

As Sara reached the end of the bridge she was crossing, an old woman called out to her. " Come here child." She beckoned. Sara came forward uncertainly. The woman pointed to a rather short tree and said, " Do you know what that is?" " A-A tree?" Sara answered, unsure at what she was getting at. " Not only that," the woman said rather impatiently, " It's a Berry Tree. This one here bears Oran Berries. You can pick them if you want. Go on, child." Sara stretched out a hand to pick the Berry. As soon as she picked the last Berry, the entire tree crumbled to the ground. " Oh!" Sara said, surprised. " Don't worry, it is their nature to crumble once the Berries are picked. Be sure to plant one Berry in the same spot. Common courtesy, you know?" the old woman said with a smile. Sara nodded and planted one of the Oran into the soft, loamy soil. " Here, I'll give you this too." The woman held out a Wailmer-shaped watering can and thrust it to Sara. Sara was dumbfounded. " This is a Wailmer Pail." The woman explained. "Use it to water plants." " Thank you." Sara said gratefully and walked away towards Rustboro City.

" Can I help you?" a sweet voice startled Sara. She had ventured into the Pokemon Center after buying some items from the Pokemon Mart situated in front of the Center. The speaker was no other than Nurse Joy, or someone resembling her. " Hi, we meet again," Sara said brightly. Nurse Joy stared at her for a moment and said, " I don't recall having met you at all. Hmm…." Suddenly, she laughed. Now it was _Sara's_ turn to stare at _her_. " What's wrong?" she said exasperatedly. " You must mean my sister," Nurse Joy choked out, still giggling slightly. Sara sighed in relief. " Can you heal my pokemon for me?" Sara said. " Sure," Nurse Joy said cheerfully. " Please hand me your Pokemon in their Pokeballs."

Sara handed over her Pokemon to Nurse Joy, who placed them (already in their Pokeballs) onto a weird-looking machine. A few seconds later, she returned them to their Trainer. " Here, all done." She said, smiling. Sara grinned. " Thanks a bunch. Now I'll challenge the Gym." Nurse Joy bid her farewell and tended to other Trainers' needs.

Sara took a deep breath. " Okay, we're here." The Rustboro City Gym stood tall with the symbol of a Stone Badge on it. Sara took a timid step into a huge room through huge sliding doors. " Welcome to the Rustboro City Gym! The Leader of this Gym uses Rock-type Pokemon, so if you chose Torchic, beware!" a commentator said. " I'll try my luck." Sara said, grinning slightly. Inside though, she was shivering uncontrollably out of nervousness.

She walked deeper into the Gym. The Gym reflected the Leader's passion for Rock-types; the interior resembled a rock terrain. At the end of the passage stood a woman. She tied her brown hair in two ponytails, and she seemed very observant by the way she eyed Sara.

" Welcome to the Rustboro City Gym." She said in a melodious voice. " I am Roxanne, the Gym Leader here. I daresay you want to challenge me to earn the Stone Badge, am I right?" she enquired. Sara nodded. Absentmindedly, she pulled out a Pokeball and tossed in into the air. Zigzagoon appeared, growling slightly.

Roxanne smiled at her opponent's move. " Not so fast," she called out. " I have not stated the rules yet." " Right. Rules." Sara muttered distractedly. " Each of us will battle with two pokemon. This is a battle with no time limits. You, as the challenger, are allowed to switch pokemon, but I as the opponent, cannot. Is that clear?" she stated, looking at Sara. Sara nodded, whereas her mind was floating elsewhere.

"LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE!" a man shouted, apparently appearing from nowhere.

" Geodude go!" Roxanne said. Passionately.

" Geodude!" a low voice was heard. Geodude, upon closer inspection, was rough on its surface. To any unobservant person, it could well be mistaken for a rock.

" Tackle it." Sara said dully. Geodude did not acknowledge any pain from the attack, it seemed that Zigzagoon's attack hardly affected it.

" Tackle it in return!" Roxanne cried. Zigzagoon cried out in pain as the Geodude rammed its hard and most probably heavy body onto its back. The cry snapped Sara out of her state of distraction. " Oh no, Zigzagoon! What have I done?" she yelled. _Command me, Sara. Hurry!_ Her Zigzagoon grunted as he endured another bout of Tackle from Geodude. Its strength was waning; it would not last much longer.

" Evade it now!" Sara cried. Zigzagoon leaped over the levitating Geodude at the last moment, evading its Tackle. "Now Growl!" Sara shouted. Zigzagoon's Growl made Geodude's attack lower. " Tackle again!" Roxanne commanded. Geodude hurtled towards Zigzagoon to deal the final blow. Zigzagoon fell, unable to battle.

" ZIGZAGOON IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! GEODUDE IS THE WINNER!" the man yelled, acting as the referee. " I'm sorry, Zigzagoon," Sara whispered tearfully as she recalled her pokemon.

" Go, Combusken!" she cried.

Roxanne raised an eyebrow. " Combusken? You do know that Fire-types are weak against Rock elements, don't you?" " I do." Sara said, inclining her head. " Very well. Start off with a Tackle!" Roxanne cried.

" Wait for it to come near, then use Double Kick!" Sara whispered to her Combusken. Combusken gave her a thumbs-up to show that she heard then raised its leg to kick Geodude. It landed twice, knocking Geodude unconscious.

" GEODUDE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. COMBUSKEN IS THE WINNER!" the annoying referee stated.

" You're good." Roxanne praised. " I would have defeated it sooner, but I lost my confidence," Sara replied. Roxanne nodded in agreement. " Very few Trainers have actually defeated this Pokemon whom you will battle now. Consider it a privilege to meet it. Nosepass, go!" she shouted.

"Nose-passss."it wheezed. It looked too heavy to move.

" Combusken, use Ember!" Sara commanded. Combusken obeyed in a dazzling display of orange and red. Nosepass came out of it seemingly unscathed. Then Sara noticed a red patch on its side. " Are you OK, Nosepass?" Roxanne asked worriedly.

" Nose-pass." Both Trainers could see that the Burn is slowly draining away its HP. " Shock Wave, Nosepass!" Roxanne cried. A ball of electricity formed on top of its head and headed towards Combusken with deadly accuracy. And then it hit. " Combusken! Nooo!" Sara shrieked amid the noise of clapping thunder. Combusken managed to stand, rather shakily, on its feet. " Finish it off with Rock Tomb." Roxanne commanded the final blow. Combusken could not withstand the rocks and fainted at the impact, due to it being Super Effective.

"COMBUSKEN IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! THE WINNER IS ROXANNE, THE LEADER OF RUSTBORO GYM!" the referee yelled.

Sara ran over to her Combusken. " Are you alright?" she asked anxiously. She mentally slapped herself. " _Of course she's not all right, she was just defeated!_" Combusken opened one eye and whispered, _I'll be fine after a short rest. Don't worry Sara_…. "Combusken, return." Sara muttered, looking crestfallen. Roxanne looked at her kindly. " Don't worry, it'll be fine after a short rest. Come back anytime for a rematch." She offered. Sara nodded without thinking and headed out of the Gym.

She ran to the Pokemon Center to heal the pokemon, trying, and failing, to hide her tears. " Please…heal my…pokemon." She gasped as she reached the counter. Nurse Joy looked surprised but nodded. Meanwhile, Sara sat on a sofa and covered her face with her hands, unwilling to let anyone see her cry. She was so disappointed.

" Umm…Miss Sara? Your pokemon are ready." Joy said. When Sara did not look up, Nurse Joy came up to her. She had guessed the reason of her distress was her loss to Roxanne by simply checking the state of her injured pokemon. Seeing her cry, she placed a warm hand on her shoulder. Sara looked at her through red eyes, swollen from crying. "It's OK. Everyone loses sometime." Joy said comfortingly. Sara cried some more. Joy handed her a tissue and said, " here. Don't cry anymore. Why don't you train to be better? Crying won't help."

Sara took it without a word and began wiping her tear stained face. " I need to go to the washroom for a moment," she said. The tissue muffled her words, but Nurse Joy understood just the same. When Sara came out of the washroom, she was her usual cheerful self. She hugged the nurse gratefully. " Thank you for your advice," she said. Nurse Joy just hugged her in return and bade her farewell for the moment and good luck for her rematch. Sara smiled and exited the Pokemon Center.

" Stop, thief!" someone shouted. A second later, a bluish blur raced past Sara. Behind him came a man wearing a scientist's outfit. Sara recognized him as the same Devon researcher she helped earlier. " You have to…help me. The Devon Goods…were…stolen by…Team Aqua!" he gasped. Sara nodded determinedly. " I'm on it!"

They found the Team Aqua member in Rusturf Tunnel by locating a screeching sound let out by a pokemon. " Hand over the Goods now, Team Aqua." Sara said threateningly. The Team Aqua member laughed. " You? Aren't you the little girl whom we met in Petalburg Woods?" she asked. " That's right. Now hand over the Goods!" Sara replied coolly. " I _sooo_ scared! I'm just a Grunt! What shall I do?" she said sarcastically. " Let's battle! The one who wins earns the Devon Goods. Is that OK?" " Bring it on!" Sara said enthusiastically.

" Wingull, go!" the Team Aqua Grunt ordered. " Huh?" The Wingull made no move to battle. On the contrary, it wailed loudly. " Drat it…the pokemon we stole is useless after all….Hey! Those eyes…can it be the Keeper?" She mumbled. Sara's eyes had turned silver again. " Poochyena, I choose you!" she shouted.

" Combusken, you're up!" Sara said. A shrill cry accompanied the appearance of her pokemon. _Let's battle,_ she shrieked. " Double Kick!" Sara commanded.

Combusken lifted its leg to kick. Its first kick landed squarely on the Poochyena's jaw. The second missed as Poochyena leapt out of the way. " Bite it." The Grunt growled. " Ember!" The flames from Combusken's beak scorched Poochyena, yet it was still able to deliver its attack. Combusken was hardly affected. " Finish with another Double Kick!" Sara cried. The Poochyena dropped to the ground, unable to battle.

" Poochyena! No!" she cried out disbelievingly. " The Devon Goods, Team Aqua…?" Sara asked. " Here, _Keeper_." She spat spitefully on the ground. Sara gasped. _She knows_….she thought with dread. "And you can have this as well." The Grunt handed the Devon Goods and the Wingull to Sara. " Farewell, Silver-eyes. We shall meet again. My boss will be most pleased…." She said as she ran off in the opposite direction.

_You have to be cautious now, Sara. They know_…. " I know that, Combusken." Together, they stepped out into the blinding sunlight.

" PEEKO!" An old man yelled and grabbed the Wingull in Sara's arms. The Wingull screeched happily. Sara cringed. _How did he stand that racket all the time?_ She thought. " Did you steal my darling Peeko? Let's battle then, you little…." He said angrily. " No, I didn't!" Sara said hotly. " I saved it from the Team Aqua Grunt." The man's features relaxed. " Then I thank you! If you need any help, just drop in to see me. My house is near the beach on Route 104. By the way, I'm Mr. Briney. Good day to you." With that, he walked away with Peeko perched on his shoulder. " He's a weird one," Sara commented, and Combusken readily agreed.

As soon as Mr. Briney disappeared from view, the Devon researcher ran up to her. " Have you got it? Have you got the Devon Goods? Oh, you must, you must!" he said frantically. " Sir, calm down. I've got it already." Sara tried to pacify the agitated man. He only calmed down when he saw the Devon Goods safely in Sara's arms.

" Good!" he said with relief. " In that case, can you send it to Captain Stern in Slateport City? I would deliver it alone, but those thugs might steal it again. Please? You would be doing me a great favour." He ended hopefully. " But of course!" Sara replied readily. The man cheered, looking comical in his scientist's long coat. " I know. As a reward for retrieving the Goods, I'll give you a Great Ball!" he handed a ball towards Sara. " Come, I have to bring you to the President."

At the Devon Corp. building……

" I'm very grateful that you saved our precious Goods not only once, but twice!" the President boomed, shaking Sara's hand. " For that, I think you can be trusted with a letter to my son who is currently in Dewford searching for rare rocks. Would you do me that favour?" she asked appealingly. _Another favour_…. " Sure! Dewford, is it?" she asked brightly. The President nodded. " But I'm not one who asks for something for free. In return, I'll present you with our company's latest creation, the Pokenav!" he handed a red-shaped device to her along with the letter. " With this device, you can call your friends any time, no matter how far they may be. Besides that you can…I'll let you explore by yourself, rather than spoil the surprise." He chuckled. Sara thanked him and turned to leave.

Sara went out to be greeted by a gust of wind that whipped her silky, shoulder-length brown hair across her face. Suddenly, a shrill ringing sounded somewhere in her jeans pocket. Taking its contents out, she realized that her Pokenav was ringing. "Hello?" she said uncertainly. " Why hello! Was it nice having your hair blown by the wind?" the President's booming voice came through the Pokenav. " How did you know that?" she asked questioningly at the screen. " How? I'm looking down from my office window, that's how!" he said and erupted into laughter. Sara laughed along with him. " Well, I'll be seeing you, sir." She said respectfully. " No need to call me 'sir', plain Mr. Stone is enough." " Okay, bye Mr. Stone!" the image on the screen disappeared with a 'click'. Sara stared at the miniscule device in her hand. " What advanced technology," she murmured.

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So how was that? Hopefully OK, I didn't get any feedback at all for Chapter 6.

NEXT EPISODE……

Sara returns to the Gym and challenges Roxanne to a rematch. Will she win? After that, the trip through Petalburg Forest again….creepy!


	8. A Step Closer

I just realized I made a HUGE mistake! That Dodrio call in Chapter 1 should not be there, I got carried away. Sorry about that, I'll try to make less mistakes in the future.

**8. A Step Closer**

" Thanks Nurse Joy!" Sara said cheerfully. " No problem!" Nurse Joy answered with a smile. "Good to see that you have stopped moping over your loss." Sara grinned sheepishly. " Yeah, I realized that for every battle I lose, I gain more experience. So in a way, losing isn't that bad." Nurse Joy agreed. " My, you've learnt more than I thought. All because of one single loss, too!" she said admiringly. "Oh, here come more Trainers. Bye now!" " Goodbye Nurse Joy, and thanks for everything!" Sara said and walked out of the Pokemon Center.

" You ready for a rematch?" Sara asked her pokemon. None answered since they were in their Pokeballs. Sara smiled contentedly. " I'll take that as a yes!" she declared and ran towards the Gym.

" Back again? I hope you have thought up a strategy!" the man at the door asked. " I think so," Sara said. She was no longer nervous, since she had finally experienced what an official Gym battle would be like so there was nothing to be afraid of. With that, she practically skipped to Roxanne, bursting with confidence.

" Hi there! Ready for a rematch?" Roxanne enquired in a friendly manner. " Yes, I am." Sara said. Roxanne nodded. " Good luck then!" " I wish you luck too," Sara grinned.

" Lotad, go!"

" Lotad!"

" I choose you, Geodude!"

" Ge-o-dude."

" Come on Lotad, show them your Absorb!" Sara called out towards her Pokemon. Lotad ran (I guess) towards the Rock Pokemon and somehow managed to scratch it slightly, drawing HP from it. Geodude winced.

" Geodude, don't let that hinder you! Tackle it." Roxanne commanded, looking at home during this battle. Geodude regained its composure and rammed into Lotad. The attack did not deal much damage to Lotad. " Now use Nature Power!" Sara shouted.

Lotad started glowing blue. All of a sudden, chunks of rocks began levitating off the ground and flew towards the foe. Geodude managed to dodge most of the rocks, but a few inevitably hit its target. Lotad used this moment of distraction to use the attack it planned to use all along: Absorb. Geodude was winded from evading the rocks and was unable to resist. Lotad drained its HP to the end, leaving Geodude to crash onto the floor, unable to levitate. The impact also caused the floor to crack where Geodude fell.

" Oh no, Geodude!" Roxanne cried out, distressed. " Return." Turning to her challenger, she smiled. " So far, so good. Let's see how you fare with Nosepass!" With that, she tossed a Pokeball onto the field. It revealed her fainted Geodude, much to everyone's amazement.

" Geo-Geodude." It said weakly. " Oops. Sorry about that. Return, Geodude!" Roxanne apologized. Sara giggled. Geodude became a beam of red light and returned to its Pokeball to rest. "Nosepass, go!" Roxanne called.

Everyone watched with bated breath. To their relief, the correct Pokemon appeared.

" Nosepass." It wheezed.

" You should be able to handle it, Lotad! Start with Astonish!" Sara said. _Yesyesyes, of course!_ Lotad squeaked, and appeared right beside Nosepass and slapped in in the face. Nosepass showed no reaction.

" Huh? It didn't seem affected in the least," Sara muttered, puzzled. _I wonder why,_ Lotad said sarcastically. _It's a dumb rock, that's why!_ " Hush, don't use such descriptions to describe a fellow pokemon!" Sara whispered. _Hey, it _is_ a rock,_ Lotad said sulkily. Sara shrugged. " Whatever. Absorb!" Lotad shot her a glare before launching its attack. As before, Nosepass showed no reaction that it was being harmed besides looking totally oblivious and not to mention stupid.

" Nosepass, it's time to show them who is the boss. I mean, mistress!" Roxanne corrected herself. "Rock Throw!" Nosepass started glowing blue as rocks levitated off the ground, somewhat similar to Lotad's Nature Power attack earlier. " You can dodge it, Lotad!" Sara encouraged. _Of course I can. I'm Lotad, aren't I?_ Lotad hissed, still angry at the telling off from its Trainer. Meanwhile, it started dodging rocks.

" Now Rock Tomb!"

" Huh? But -" Sara exclaimed, having been caught off guard. _Ugh,_ Lotad groaned. _That hurt. Plus, I can't move anymore._

" Oh no!" Sara cried as she saw her pokemon immobile, surrounded by boulders. "Finish it with another Rock Throw." Roxanne said. Nosepass glowed and released another Rock Throw. Lotad was unable to dodge even a single one due to it being stuck in a circle of rocks. The continuous barrage of rocks onto Lotad's fragile body caused Lotad to faint.

" Lotad…. return." Sara said dejectedly. A red beam of light was released from the Pokeball Sara held and hit Lotad. The beam them retracted into the Pokeball, taking Lotad with it. " Combusken, I choose you!"

Combusken appeared and unleashed a stream of fire from her beak. "Combusken!" the Pokemon cried enthusiastically.

" Let's show them how strong we've become! Ember!" Sara cheered her Pokemon. As before, her pokemon released fire in a dazzling display of orange and red tinged with yellow at her foe. Nosepass was totally engulfed in flames. The flames licked at its literally rock-hard body as it remained oblivious to the heat of the flames.

" That won't hurt Nosepass, Fire is less effective on Rock Types. Didn't you know that?" Roxanne taunted, hoping to anger her opponent. Sara didn't fall for it. " I know that. Double Kick, Combusken."

Combusken raised its leg to hit Nosepass. Nosepass didn't budge from its spot, even when it was being hit very hard by one of Combusken's feet twice.

" Now Tackle!" Sara said.

" Not so fast. Counter with Rock Tomb!" Roxanne commanded.

" Counter by using Double Kick on the rocks!" Sara shouted. The airborne boulders were smashed to smithereens by Combusken's powerful kicks.

" Now Rock Throw!"

" What? No way!" Sara exclaimed, aghast. " Too bad, Sara. Victory goes to me again." Roxanne said.

Sara grinned. " Nope, victory goes to _me_." " What?" Roxanne yelled, surprised. No wonder, for Combusken had used Ember on the rocks. Miraculously, the rocks were burnt to ashes. But the fire did not stop there. It continued towards its target; Nosepass. Once again, Nosepass was covered in flames. Nosepass seemed to be tiring out, judging by slight cracks all over its body.

" Now finish it! Double Kick!" Sara said.

Nosepass fainted from the impact of Combusken's first hit. " No! Nosepass!" Roxanne cried, flabbergasted. " Get up!"

Sara simply stood there for a moment, letting the truth sink in. A grin slowly spread over her face. " I won! _We_ won," she corrected herself. " We did it, Combusken! We won our first Gym battle!" she screamed. Combusken crowed proudly.

Roxanne smiled at the duo's childish antics. " May I have your attention for a moment?" she asked. Both Trainer and pokemon turned to face the Gym Leader. " Since you have defeated me, I declare you worthy of this Stone Badge," she started. Sara cheered happily, looking proudly at her first Badge. " And this is a gift from me." "Huh?" Sara squinted to have a better look at the object in her hand.

" That TM contains Rock Tomb. I'm sure you saw its power as my pokemon demonstrated earlier." Roxanne explained. Sara accepted it with thanks. " Why don't you drop by the Pokemon Trainers' School? I think you'll be able to pick up some tips there." Sara accepted the offer and both of them walked into a building a few blocks away from the Gym after healing their injured pokemon.

" Good morning, Miss Roxanne. Are you here to check over the school?" an elderly man asked politely. " Not really. I brought a Trainer here. Her name is Sara." Roxanne answered. " Hi! I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?" Sara asked curiously.

The man chuckled. " Me? I'm a teacher, employed by no other than Miss Roxanne here." Sara stared at him then at Roxanne. " You mean…" Roxanne nodded. "Yes, I am the mistress of this school." " Wow," Sara said admiringly. The latter blushed. "It's nothing really." " That's in your opinion," Sara answered half jealously.

The teacher had been studying Sara all this while. Finally, he said approvingly, "You look like a talented Trainer. Now, don't contradict me -" for Sara had opened her mouth to object. "- I'm sure that you'll use this Quick Claw wisely. Keep it, child." Sara was indignant at being referred as a child, but did not answer as she was fascinated by the object handed to her by the teacher. It resembled a claw, perhaps a talon.

" Thanks." That was all she could say. Roxanne and the teacher laughed softly at her reaction. " I guess I'll be going now. Bye! I hope to see you again." Sara murmured without tearing her gaze away from the Quick Claw. Roxanne nodded. " Goodbye. I hope that we may have a rematch the next time we cross paths." " Me too," Sara agreed. Sara hugged Roxanne before setting off, tracing the path she came by earlier.

In the Petalburg Woods….

" Hey Sara!" Brendan called. Sara spun round to see Brendan only inches away from her face. She yelped in surprise and fell down, hard, on the ground. " Ow," she muttered.

" Sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you," Brendan said apologetically, offering his hand to her. Sara grunted and stood up. Brendan noticed something rectangular peeking out of her jeans pocket." May I see that?" he asked curiously. "Sure," Sara shrugged and handed him the device. "You've got one too!" Brendan exclaimed incredulously. " Yup. Anything wrong in that?" Sara shot at him. She obviously had not gotten over her fright.

" I mean, nothing's wrong. Do you have the Match Call in here, too?" Sara nodded briefly. " Great! Let's register each other in our Pokenavs." The registering took no more than a few seconds. " Got to go now, I guess I'll see you later." Brendan said and disappeared under a low branch. " Bye," Sara answered, although he was no longer in the vicinity.

After much roaming about and a few battles with wild pokemon, Sara finally emerged from the shady refuge of Petalburg Woods. " Okay, now that I'm here, how do I get across?" she pondered as she reached a stretch of pale yellow sand. Her eyes darted here and there for an answer and rested on a house nearby. It was the only house there, to be exact. _Might as well ask the person in there. _Sara shrugged then proceeded to rap the door smartly with her knuckles..

" Why hello there! Do you want anything?" a man's gruff voice sounded behind the half open door. " Mr. Briney!" she exclaimed, taken aback. " 'Course I am! Told you I lived here, didn't I?" " Oh yes, I remember now!"

_Flashback_….

_" PEEKO!" An old man yelled and grabbed the Wingull in Sara's arms. The Wingull screeched happily. Sara cringed. How did he stand that racket all the time? She thought. " Did you steal my darling Peeko? Let's battle then, you little…." He said angrily. " No, I didn't!" Sara said hotly. " I saved it from the Team Aqua Grunt." The man's features relaxed. " Then I thank you! If you need any help, just drop in to see me. My house is near the beach on Route 104. By the way, I'm Mr. Briney. Good day to you." With that, he walked away with Peeko perched on his shoulder. " He's a weird one," Sara commented. Combusken readily agreed._

_End of Flashback…_.

" Can I help you, dear? Anything to repay your deed for saving my darling Peeko," Mr. Briney said eagerly. " Actually, yes. I want to go to Dewford, but I've no idea how to get there." Sara said. Mr. Briney beamed. " I know! I'll send you there myself on my speedboat." Sara looked extremely happy at the offer. " Why, thanks!"

" Hop on, then. No point in waiting all day!" he said cheerfully as the engine roared to life. " Okay!" Sara said enthusiastically and obeyed the older man's command. In no time at all, the small boat was speeding across the sea. _Knuckle Badge, here I come._ Sara thought happily as the wind rushed past her, a cool breeze in her face.

So how was that? Better, I hope. Review, please!

NEXT EPSODE….

Sara ventures into the dark recesses of Granite Cave without anything to light the way. Somehow, she managed to find Steven after stumbling blindly in the darkness for what seemed like forever. Then, the much awaited for battle for the next Badge! Will our heroine emerge the victor?


	9. Steven Stone

Hello readers! I'm back! Not that it means anything, of course. On to the next chapter!

**9. Steven Stone**

"This is awesome!" Sara exclaimed happily.

Mr. Briney agreed. "Nice, isn't it? This is the reason I became a sailor in the first place!" he shouted over the sound created by the rushing wind.

"Ship ahoy! We've reached Dewford!" he yelled over to Sara. Sara jumped about in glee.

"Thanks Mr. Briney!"

The latter shook it off. "No need. I'll be waiting here until you've finished your business here. Delivering a letter to –who was it? - Steven Stone, right?"

"Yup. After I do that, I might as well challenge the Gym here for my second Badge. Roxanne told me that Brawly of the Dewford Gym uses fighting pokemon and awards the Knuckle Badge to the winners." Sara said confidently.

"My, you're not one to laze about, are you?" he asked admiringly.

"I guess not. Bye now!"

"Goodbye lass!" Mr. Briney hollered to the departing figure and retreated into his ship to rest in the cabin.

….

"We're here. Granite Cave." Sara announced to no one in particular.

"Right you are, lass. You're in Granite Cave. You'll get lost pretty quick if you continue walking that way without a light." A voice spoke in the darkness.

Sara nearly jumped out of her skin. "Who are you?" she asked cautiously.

"Me." A burly-looking man came forwards to stand in the dim light that managed to reach into the darkness of the cave. He had an explorer's hat on his balding head and wore hiking gear.

"Why can't I go in?"

"'Cause you'll get lost without a light to guide you." he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh."

"Um…where can we find a light source for me to enter?" Sara asked him after a brief silence.

"Easy. Here, use this." He showed her an object in his palm.

Sara squinted to get a better look at the object. It was hard to do so in the dim light. "I presume that is a TM, right?"

The burly man shook his head. "Nope, wrong guess. This is a HM."

"What's the difference?"

"Look here." The man pulled out another object from one of his various pockets and placed in on his left hand. "This -" he showed her the object on his right, "- is a TM. For one-time use only."

Sara nodded. "I've seen those before."

"Good. Now this disc-shaped thing on my hand is a HM, or a Hidden Move. Its shape is similar to that of a TM. This one contains Flash. From its name I think you can guess that this move allows pokemon to light up even the darkest areas. Unlike a TM, a HM can be reused." he concluded.

"Take it, please." He thrust the TM into her palm. "As a hiker, I should help people in need. My eyes are already used to darkness anyway. If I can't see through the darkness, my pokemon can use Flash."

Sara accepted it gratefully. "Thanks a bunch!" She turned to go. "Oh, wait. Did you see a man or a teenager pass by here, by any chance?"

"Yup. He went in here. His pokemon already know Flash, so no point in giving this HM to him. He wears posh clothes, too." He scoffed. "Not suitable for caves, if I may say so."

"Really?" Sara asked, slightly bemused.

"Uh-huh. His clothes must be expensive, by the looks of it. Too bad, it'll be ruined by the time he comes out of here."

Sara started to blend into the darkness surrounding her. "I guess I'll be going now."

"What? Wait a minute. I forgot to tell you that the HM requires the Knuckle Badge to function!" the man yelled. Sara was already out of sight by then and didn't hear him.

"Oh well. She'll find out the hard way." He consoled himself.

….

"Oh great. The HM's not working," Sara grumbled as she tried to teach her Kirlia Flash. Kirlia had failed to produce light no matter how hard she tried. "That man must've given me a dud. Whatever, favours come first."

_I could help if you can find a branch, _Combusken suggested.

"A branch? Now where can I find that in this secluded cave?"

_Um…_. Combusken didn't know. Sara sighed.

_Oh, wait. I think I can summon one here._ Kirlia volunteered. After several moments, she succeeded in summoning a stick.

"Yay! Thanks Kirlia!" Sara praised her.

_No problem. Glad to be of assistance, Keeper,_ Kirlia panted.

"Rest now, Kirlia. Combusken…?"

_One flame, coming up!_ Combusken used a small Ember on the stick that Sara held.

" Ouch! You burned me!" Sara yelped in pain as she shook her hand. The stick was transferred to the other, pain-free hand.

_Sorry Sara, I didn't mean to! _Combusken apologized.

"It's okay. At least we have a light source now." Sara muttered, blowing on her scorched hand. "Let's go."

The team went deeper into the dark recesses of the cave. Sara had transferred the stick onto her burned hand, claiming that there's no point in getting both hands scorched.

She spoke truly, for the stick burned out some time later, scorching her hand again in the process.

"Ouch, ouch, OUCH!" Sara screamed. "That's it! I'll bring proper equipment the next time I have to enter a cave. And I won't rely on HM duds, either," she said after an afterthought.

Her pokemon laughed. Sara glared.

"_WHAT'S SO FUNNY_?" she stormed.

_Oops,_ Kirlia said.

"Combusken, can you produce some flames that you can hold with cupped, uh, I don't think you have fingers," Sara observed.

Combusken was offended. _I get what you mean, but don't tease me, okay? _She huffed. With that, she breathed a few flames onto her cupped claws, since she had no hands. They held the flames with no difficulty. _Done._

"Let's go in before I get burned into a crisp by this second flame when Combusken makes up her mind to slip and throw the flames on me," Sara said, half teasingly. A flash in Combusken's eye told everyone it would be best if they kept quiet.

"Oh no." Sara stopped in her tracks.

_What's wrong, Keeper?_ Combusken started speaking but stopped as she heard what her Trainer heard.

"The Keeper will be passing here for sure." A defiant voice said clearly despite the distance between them.

"How sure are you? For all we know, she may still be stuck back there on Route 104," another voice pointed out distinctly. By the speaker's soft tone, Sara deduced that one was a male and the other, female.

A glimmer of light could be seen at the far end of the passage now. Sara beckoned for her pokemon to follow her.

"I'll have to return you to your Pokeballs, okay? Then I'll be able to get out easily. When all of us walk together, we are sitting ducks," she whispered her plan. Her pokemon nodded. "Return, Combusken, Kirlia." Both pokemon disappeared into their Pokeballs. Unfortunately, the two unknown people detected the red beams of light that extended from the Pokeballs.

"There's someone there!" a voice called. Now that they were closer, Sara could hear the difference between the two voices clearly. The one who spoke earlier had a rough voice while the other had a gentle yet cold voice.

Sara tried to back further into the crack in the solid granite. She accidentally kicked loose a piece of rock in the process. She cursed silently as the sound produced by the rolling rock caught the duo's attention.

"That should be her!" the gruff voice exclaimed. "After her!"

'_Great, now I've got myself stuck,_' Sara thought helplessly. '_I guess that leaves me no choice. _' "Go, Combusken," she whispered. Thankfully, Combusken appeared silently and did not attract extra attention.

"Guard me while I release Kirlia," she commanded.

_Right, _Combusken saluted and got into attack stance. _Release Kirlia now._

"Kirlia, I choose you!" Sara whispered.

Kirlia appeared before her, though not as silently as Combusken. _Yes, Keeper? _She asked rather too loudly.

"Shh!" Both Combusken and Sara scolded.

But wha- 

Kirlia's question was cut short when she heard two set of running feet on the hard granite floor. _So that's it,_ she answered her own question.

Sara and Combusken glared at her. "Use Psychic on whoever who comes this way." Sara said bluntly.

_All right. Don't get angry. How am I supposed to know what's going on the moment I emerged from my Pokeball anyway? _She huffed.

"SSH!"

"There! I saw her!" a woman's voice could be distinguished. She didn't sound that she meant any good.

_Here goes…._ Kirlia unleashed a Psychic attack on them. Surprisingly, there were no cries of pain, no shouts of surprise. Only an eerie silence.

"Bite that Psychic pokemon, Poochyena."

Sara slapped herself mentally. "Poochyena! Of course Dark types won't be affected by Psychic attacks. Darn it! Combusken, use Flamethrower on the Poochyena!"

_Okay._ Combusken charged herself up for a Flamethrower attack. The barks of the Poochyena warned her to unleash her attack. As usual, the fire came out in a dazzling display of orange with a touch of red, knocking the Poochyena out instantly.

"Good thing you thought of sending Poochyena as a hoax, Fayne. Now we know her exact location." A man congratulated his colleague. The woman smiled.

"My pleasure, Damien." Fayne inclined her head.

"Graveler, go!" Damien ordered.

"Zubat, I choose you!" the woman said coldly, sending shivers down Sara's spine.

_Keeper, how can I attack if I can't see? _Kirlia asked anxiously.

"Combusken, how did you attack that Poochyena just now? Did you see it?" Sara asked frantically.

_I located its bark, of course. My eyes are only good enough to see a black figure in the dark, nothing more, _Combusken replied.

The duo didn't hesitate to attack Sara and her pokemon.

"Zubat, start with Supersonic!" Fayne commanded.

"Graveler, use Rock Throw!" Damien said, standing beside his partner.

"Combusken, locate the source of the Supersonic and use Ember! Kirlia, try to keep the rocks away from Combusken and yourself using Psychic. After that, use Confusion!" Sara yelled while clamping her ears shut with her hands; the Supersonic bounced off the walls and it hurt her ears.

Combusken and Kirlia held their own quite well. They cooperated gracefully, with one attacking and the other defending the attacker. Without realizing, Sara was sending telepathic messages to them.

"_Combusken, avoid Graveler's Rock Throw and then use Double Kick._"

Combusken obeyed this voice in her head and kicked Graveler hard, knocking its breath out. It fainted on the second kick.

"Graveler, return." Damien grumbled angrily.

"_Kirlia._"

Kirlia looked around confusedly. Looking at Sara, she realized that her Trainer's eyes had turned silver. They shone brightly like two stars in the darkness, allowing Kirlia to see. Sara's hair whipped across her face gently as if blown by a gentle breeze.

"_Use Confusion._"

Baffled, Kirlia turned to face her foe. Zubat used Supersonic. Both attacks collided and cancelled each other out.

"_Now use Psychic to break through its barrier of sound._"

Kirlia's attack hit Zubat squarely in its chest. It screeched in pain and began writhing on the floor.

"Zubat, open your eyes and use Aerial Ace on Combusken!" Fayne ordered.

"_Teleport in front of Combusken and use Confusion once more on Zubat when it appears to attack. _"

Kirlia obeyed. The Zubat fell victim to her attack. At the same time, Combusken screeched in agony.

"Kir-li-lia!" Kirlia cried out.

Sara looked around to find the source of their pain. Her gaze landed on the duo facing her.

While Kirlia had been finishing Zubat off, Fayne and Damien had released more pokemon, namely a Mightyena and a Golbat. These had attacked Combusken and Kirlia upon their Trainers' orders.

"You…" Sara glared at them.

"Yes, Keeper? Just let us finish then we can grab you off to our hideout. Our boss needs you. Yes, very much indeed." Damien said with a malicious smile.

"NEVER!" Sara screamed. Her silver eyes flashed.

"_Combusken, use Double Kick on Mightyena. Kirlia, Psychic on Golbat._"

Fayne and Damien looked at her blankly.

"Why isn't she attacking?" Fayne asked her companion. Damien shrugged.

"I don't know. But her pokemon are."

"WHAT!"

It was true. While the two were discussing, Combusken and Kirlia had attacked their foes. Both foes either yelped or screeched in pain.

_I have to end this soon, _Sara thought. Her pokemon were rapidly tiring out and would not last longer, she knew that. But her remaining pokemon were currently resting at the Pokemon Center, recovering from a series of battles with some swimmers on the way to Dewford.

"Meteor Mash!" an unknown voice yelled. It was strong and low, and it seemed to echo around the crowded passage, making the air vibrate. A shrill cry was heard as an unseen pokemon prepared its attack.

All of a sudden, their surroundings disappeared, replaced by revolving planets. Sara could see Venus up close near her.

"What's going on?" she heard Fayne ask her partner.

"I don't know," he answered uncomfortably.

Without warning, huge meteors began to dislodge themselves from their positions and hurtled towards Mightyena and Golbat, sparing the remaining two pokemon. Mightyena and Golbat were unable to evade the rain of countless meteors as their Trainers did not respond and were hit repeatedly until they fainted.

Sara turned to look at the newcomer. He had gray hair that stick out just at the right places. Anyone could see that his outer coat and trousers were made out of expensive material, even from a distance. His steel-gray eyes looked at Fayne and Damien, who stood trembling.

"Go," the newcomer said. That single word was enough to send the duo scuttling away.

"We'll be back for you, Keeper!" Damien shouted as he was engulfed in darkness.

Sara collapsed onto the cold granite floor and blacked out. Her pokemon ran towards her, but the newcomer beat them to it. He felt her forehead and began shaking her gently.

"Get up." He coaxed her.

….

(Sara's speech will be **bold **while the voice will be in _**bold and italic**._)

"**Where am I?**" Sara muttered as she tried to stand.

"_**Lie down Keeper, you are not fit to stand just yet."** _A voice said firmly.

"**At least tell me where I am now."**

The voice sighed_. **"You are unconscious in the real world. I am the one who spoke to you through your dreams. I am here to warn you."**_

Sara was alert at once._ "_**What is it?**_"_

"_**Two of the evil organizations I spoke to you about have found out your true identity. Team Universal and Team Aqua are hot in pursuit of you, for you are the key to success in their plans for world domination. Beware, Keeper. Beware of the last organization who is still in the dark of your secret.**"_

Sara nodded_. "_**I will.**_"_

"_**Then get up now. Your team mates are getting worried."**_

"**May I ask one question?_"_**

"_**Go ahead."**_

"**Who are you?_"_**

Silence. Nothing but silence.

"_**That, Keeper, you shall find out later. Goodbye.**"_

The unending white around Sara collapsed. She screamed and woke up in the pokemon world.

….

"Finally. I thought that you were dead." A voice spoke from above her. Sara blinked several times before scrambling to her feet.

"Who are you?" Sara asked warily.

" Steven Stone. And may I know this fair lady's name?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Sara looked to Combusken and Kirlia for answers. Both shrugged and pretended not to notice. She grumbled inwardly.

"Sara. Sara True." She answered cautiously. "What happened?"

"You blacked out." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, right. You're Steven Stone, right?" Sara wanted to confirm. Steven nodded.

She rummaged about in her backpack and produced a long, white envelope, albeit a rather crumpled one. Steven stared at it in surprise.

"For me?"

Sara nodded briefly before munching a sandwich that she had packed into her bag earlier that day. She was ravenous, although she didn't know why.

"What time if ift?" she asked with her mouth stuffed full with sandwich.

Steven frowned and did some calculations on the dusty floor by scratching the surface with his finger.

"If I'm not wrong, it should be sunset out there."

"Sunset? Was I unconscious that long? It was sunrise when I came in here," she objected.

Steven smiled slightly. "Believe it or not, it is indeed true."

Sara sighed sadly and sat down on the cold granite floor.

_What's the matter, Sara? _Combusken and Kirlia asked in concern.

"I can't challenge the Gym now…." She said sadly. Steven patted her back comfortingly.

"There's always tomorrow," he pointed out.

Sara nodded and seemed to cheer up a little at the prospect of challenging the Gym the very next day. Steven stood up and offered a hand to Sara. The latter smiled and accepted his offered hand. Both blushed a deep red when their hands made contact. The pokemon sniggered.

_Ahem._ Combusken let out an almost inaudible cough as Kirlia giggled in a high-pitched yet melodious voice.

Sara and Steven blushed even harder, if that was possible and let go of each other's hands. Steven put his hand into his trouser pocket while Sara put hers on her hips. Giggling hard, Sara's pokemon ran off into a passage leading out of the one they were in.

_Come on, _Combusken said to Kirlia._ Let's leave the two lovebirds alone. _Kirlia couldn't restrain a laugh.

"Don't do anything concerning you-know-what!" Sara warned as she saw her pokemon speed off to a branching passage.

_We're both females! _Kirlia screamed back. Laughter could be heard among them as the sound echoed around the entire passage as well as those nearby.

Sara turned to face Steven. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into them today," she admitted.

Steven patted her shoulder, making her blush softly. "It's okay. My pokemon do it sometimes too."

"_Why am I blushing all the time? This is so girlish_…." Sara thought.

"_Why am I acting like this? It's not as if this was the first time I held a girl's hand,_" Steven thought.

"_I'm usually a cheerful person. So why do I feel awkward around Steven?_"

"_I wonder why_ _I act like this when I'm near her_…."

"Let's find a way out of here." Sara shivered; the cold atmosphere was getting to her. To her surprise, a pair of arms wrapped themselves protectivelyaround her.

"You're cold," Steven murmured. Hastily, Sara pulled away from him, only to trip and fall onto the floor. She thrust out her hands to break her fall. She fell sideways without coming to much harm.

"Are you okay?" Steven asked, concerned.

"I-I think so." Was the shaky reply.

_Sara! _Out of the blue,Combusken and Kirlia appeared in front of the duo. Kirlia had apparently used Teleport to transport herself and Combusken to the vicinity.

_Are you okay? _Kirlia asked, concerned. She started checking her Trainer for wounds.

_What did you do to her? _Combusken snarled at Steven.

"Whoa, no offense, but I don't understand Pokemon language," Steven said. That angered Combusken even more, and she started to rant about his carelessness, clumsiness and so on.

_Combusken! Sara is hurt! _Kirlia exclaimed and held out Sara's right arm, turned upwards, for everyone to see. It was badly bruised, not to mention a nasty cut just below her index finger that continued downwards halfway down her arm. Blood was flowing freely from the wound.

"Sara! You're hurt!" Steven exclaimed and bent down to examine her injury.

"It doesn't hurt…" she muttered as she glared at Kirlia. Kirlia glared back at her.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Let's check."

Sara tried in vain to pull her arm away from Steven's iron grip. Even then, she could not help blushing. "Let go!" she protested.

Steven ignored her and slowly stretched out his free hand towards the cut. Sara watched it with growing apprehension. Gingerly, the tips of his fingers brushed against the edge of the gash on her arm, which was now red with blood. Sara winced openly but managed to avoid screaming in pain. Steven's fingers were covered with the red liquid.Sara's pokemon glared at him angrily for causing more agony to their Trainer.

Steven looked at her straight in the eye. "Does it hurt?" he repeated his question.

The latter looked away from him. "No, it doesn't," she said quietly but grimaced when Steven shifted his position, moving her arm along with him. By now, Sara's face was quite pale. "OW!"

Everyone's head snapped to her direction. Sara smiled weakly in return. She had tried moving her arm but a sharp pain told against it. Steven gazed at her for a moment before saying: "Come on. We should probably get out of here to treat your arm."

Sara made an effort to stand. The effort sapped most of her remaining strength. She started to stagger and nearly fell again but was caught by a strong, muscular arm.

"Here, I'll help you." With that, he placed an arm around her and lent her a supportive shoulder to aid her in standing. Sara wavered for a moment. Steven hurriedly tightened his grip around her. He peered into her pale face. Even her lips had lost most of its natural colour. Meanwhile, Sara's two pokemon looked on anxiously.

Steven shook his head. "We'll never get out of here by nightfall if she's in this condition. I'll have to carry her." He glanced over to Combusken and Kirlia. "Is that all right with you?" Both pokemon exchanged glances and shrugged.

In his arms, Sara struggled weakly. "I don't need to-b-be carried," she whispered indignantly. Steven hugged her, careful of her hurt arm. Up close, his complexion looked flawless.

"Nonsense. You can hardly stand now. Conserve your strength." He murmured. With that, he lifted her off the ground and into his arms. He then nodded to her pokemon. "Let's go."

Sara's head rested peacefully on Steven's chest as he wound his way in and out of passages as easily as it had been his home, with her pokemon in tow. The gentle rhythm of Steven's footsteps sent her to sleep.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

So how was this as a chapter? Nice? Bad? Horrible? Review, please! Tell me your rating of this story, and I'll try to upgrade my story to meet your satisfaction.

NEXT EPISODE….

No thanks to being stuck in the Granite Cave, Sara's goal to challenge the Dewford Gym had delayed. She got herself injured in the process, too. Too bad…


	10. Obtaining the Knuckle Badge

**10. Obtaining the Knuckle Badge**

_Don't worry Sara; I'll get you out. I promise. _Steven thought desperately as he saw Sara's head droop to rest on his shoulder. He blushed and pulled his gaze away from her to pick his way among the countless rocks that littered Granite Cave. _Why did I ever come in here? Sara wouldn't have gotten hurt if I weren't here! _He complained inwardly.

_Ah, but you didn't know she would be searching for you, did you? _a voice said in his head.

_Yes, but that's no reason to deny that she was injured because of ME. Me and my stupid wish to find rare stones here, _Steven argued with the annoying voice.

The voice was silent for a moment. _Ooh, Steven's fallen for a girl! _The voice giggled gleefully.

"Shut up!" Steven snarled. Combusken and Kirlia looked at him in confusion.

_Has he gone nuts? _Combusken suggested. Kirlia giggled, a sweet tinkling laugh that echoed melodiously around the cold passage they were now in.

Steven looked blankly at the two pokemon. "Did I just say that out loud?"

_You sure did. _The annoying voice was back in his head.

"Argh, just shut up already!"

As before, both pokemon erupted into giggles. Steven spared them a look before shaking his head resignedly. _I must've been crazy, talking to a voice in my head._

_Perhaps. _The voice suggested cheekily. _Or perhaps our dashing Steven Stone simply had a 'small' crush on dazzlingly beautiful Miss Sara here? Her silky brown hair, her smooth complexion, her sapphire-blue eyes?_

_Sapphire-blue eyes_….Steven thought back to when he had first met Sara in the passage. He could have sworn that there was a bright light emanating from her although she did not seem to have a light source. On the other hand, he had been focusing on the fight with Fayne and Damien to get a good look at her back then. _Perhaps it was just my imagination._

_Aww…Steven loves her! _The increasingly irritating voice rang in his head.

"I do not!" Steven said heatedly.

Combusken and Kirlia exchanged puzzled looks. _O-kay, now I'm certain he's gone crazy. _Combusken said, shaking her head sadly.

_Perhaps he is, Combusken. Perhaps he is. _Kirlia answered as Steven shook his vigorously as if to rid himself of a very irritating fly. _I could peer into his mind, though, _she said slyly.

….

STEVEN'S POV

Meanwhile, I was still contradicting the incessant buzzing in my head. In a desperate attempt to clear it out of my head, I shook my head vigorously. My neat hair fell out of place and stuck out everywhere. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw cunning in Kirlia's eyes, one I did not like at all.

Precisely at the same moment, the buzzing voice was muffled, as if covered by a blanket. My relief lasted for less than a second before I detected a presence in my head, nudging its way in stealthily to find the information it wanted. I turned around and saw Kirlia focusing hard on a totally uninteresting rock, her normally red eyes turned brown. Beads of perspiration stood out on her face as her brow furrowed in concentration,

I shot her a dirty look, which she did not acknowledge. Her presence in my head was annoying, gnawing into my head for information. I sighed and tried to push her intruding presence out of my mind. Everything around me became a blur as I focused on my main purpose: rid my head of that presence, which was, if possible, more annoying than the voice in my head. Combusken simply turned away, ignoring us both completely.

A groan was heard, but it wasn't from any one of us. I looked around in confusion until I saw a slender hand moving upwards. Startled, I looked at Sara. The girl was just coming round and her fingers fluttered to her forehead. Abruptly, the presence vanished. Kirlia looked up with a wicked smirk on her face.

"What -" she began. I halted her immediately.

"Hush now. You were unconscious earlier, so I carried you in my arms." I could not help blushing slightly, though. I heard Combusken and Kirlia sniggering behind my back. _I'll settle you two later_….

They ignored me completely and Kirlia's excited voice was distinctly heard as she whispered (well, said it out loud more like it) her finds to her companion. Combusken broke out into raucous laughter when Kirlia completed her speech.

"You two are really getting on my nerves, you know that?" I shot at them. Kirlia stuck out her tongue and continued laughing with the Young Fowl Pokemon beside her.

….

SARA"S POV

"Ugh…" I muttered as my fingers fluttered to my sore forehead. I blinked woozily as I slowly regained focus. I dimly heard Combusken whistling in the distance.

"What -" I started to say but was interrupted by Steven. Somehow, his face was very close to my own. I stared into his eyes, wanting to lose myself in their depths. I then slapped myself mentally in disgust. _How could I have thought that?_

"Hush now. You were unconscious earlier, so I carried you in my arms." Steven was saying, snapping me out of my moment of self-disgust.

_I was unconscious earlier, so Steven carried me in his arms…wait, CARRIED me? Oh my goodness, Steven had been carrying me all this while? _I thought frantically. "I think I can stand now." I said meekly. I felt Steven's muscles tense for a moment before relaxing as he pondered his answer.

"I suppose…" he said reluctantly.

_That's weird, _I thought as I held onto his arm as I tried to stand on my own two feet. _It sounds as if he almost didn't want to let go_….

"Whoa!" I exclaimed as my feet buckled under me. I hung onto Steven's arm with my good arm as if for dear life and realized that I had not recovered enough to pull myself upright. A strong arm reached down and helped me up. Once again, I was locked in Steven's gaze.

"I thought you wouldn't be strong enough."

My moment of pleasure gave way to anger. _He insulted me? _"What did you say, Steven?" I muttered softly yet dangerously.

Steven grinned at me. _She's cute when she's angry, _he thought. Then he shook his head. _What am I thinking?_

_The truth. _The voice in my head stated. Oh no.

Steven dismissed the sentence. "Nothing, Sara."

I sighed. I half-expected him to have a cheeky comeback, or at least a reassuring word…. _What am I thinking? He's already 16, of course he has a girlfriend, right?_ Though deep in my heart, I knew that I yearned for that to be untrue.

….

"Come on, I'll carry you again." Steven offered. Sara had no choice but to comply. Surprisingly, she did it almost readily. Her two pokemon looked on dubiously.

_Do you think that Sara likes this man too? _Combusken asked Kirlia, scratching her feathery head. Kirlia shrugged.

_I hope so, they look as if they were made for each other. At least we know that Steven likes her too. _Kirlia giggled.

"What're you guys chatting about?" Sara asked.

_For the last time, Keeper! _

_WE. ARE. FEMALES! _Combusken yelled into her Trainer's ears. Sara flinched and blacked out again. Steven groaned, ran a hand through Sara's silky hair, then glared at Combusken.

_Uh-oh. _

Kirlia couldn't have agreed more.

….

"Hurry up Combusken, Kirlia. We're nearly there," Steven encouraged the two disgruntled pokemon.

_Does he think he is worthy enough to substitute out honourable Sara, the Legendary Keeper? _Kirlia scoffed but hurried up anyway.

A bright ray of sunlight startled the trio. The unconscious Sara in Steven's arms noticed nothing, of course. Steven turned away from the blinding light since he could not shield his eyes with his hands as they were occupied with holding Sara. It took some time for his eyes to adjust to the change.

Combusken crowed and hurried out of Granite Cave. Kirlia was hot on his heels. Steven stumbled out of the cave, careful not to jolt the unconscious Trainer in his arms. He blinked several times before remarking: "It's already morning."

Combusken gave him an impatient peck and jerked her head in the direction of the Pokemon Center.

"Oh, right."

…

Sara woke up in a cozy bed goodness knows how long after she fell unconscious _again. _She frowned as she remembered Combusken's deafening screams in her ear. "Goodness, I'll need to buy earplugs somewhere before continuing my journey unless I want to turn stone-deaf," she joked to herself. Her eyes darted towards a lone gray spike of hair that was visible behind the blankets that covered her. She peered curiously over the blankets. There, with his head resting on his arms, was _Steven._

Sara stared at him disbelievingly. At the moment, Steven stirred a little. Sara continued staring at him. His head rose upwards. Two sleepy steel-gray eyes looked up, still slightly unfocused from sleep.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." He whispered, grunting as he sat up straighter on his seat.

"Did you stay here all the time I was unconscious?" Sara asked, leaning back onto the plump pillows. Steven smiled tiredly and yawned. One hand covered his mouth while the other, uh, accidentally touched Sara's hand.

"Oops."

"It's okay. It's just an accident," Sara shrugged trying to conceal a blush. "Let's go and train outside! I'm itching for a battle!"

Steven shook his head disapprovingly. The latter was disappointed.

"Why?"

In response, Steven pointed towards her right arm. Sara looked and gasped. Her arm was covered with bandages, some stained with a sickly crimson colour. Gingerly, she tried moving her fingers. "OW!" she yelled in pain.

"That's why." Steven said. Sara glared at him.

"Where are my pokemon?"

"They're safely in their Pokeballs. I left them with Nurse Joy for her to heal, but they're here now." He held out two Pokeballs.

Sara was mystified. "How did you get their Pokeballs?"

"Oh, that. Err…I…" he stammered. "I took them from your belt."

She nodded. "Can I go out and train now, _PLEASE_?"

"I don't know," Steven started uncertainly but Sara cheered.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she squealed and got out of bed. "Are you training with me?"

Steven's gaze shifted quickly away from the girl. "I think not."

Sara was crestfallen. "Why? Am I weak in your eyes?"

"What? No, Of course not!" Steven replied, aghast.

"Yes, you do! You think I'm too weak to battle you, right? Just because I couldn't handle those two thugs in Granite Cave!"

"No, I -"

Sara screamed in frustration and stormed out of the room, regardless of her hurt arm. "Fine! I'll train by myself!"

_Sara…_Steven watched helplessly as the girl ran out of the room in anger. _I never said that._

_Someone's heartbroken, eh? _The voice teased. Steven ignored it and gazed into space, thinking of Sara.

….

"I challenge you to a Pokemon Battle!" A shrill voice rang out. A boy wearing shorts and a yellow shirt challenged her, addressing himself as Willy.

"As ready as ever," Sara declared. "Go Combusken!" She proceeded to pull out Combusken's Pokeball to throw. "_OW_!" She had moved her hand too much, and it _hurt. _

"Are you okay? I don't think we should battle if you're not in a good condition," Willy said uncertainly.

Sara winced. "No, it's all right. I can battle." She bent down to pick up the Pokeball containing Combusken with her good hand and threw it into the field (which was a stretch of sand). The Young Fowl appeared with a screech.

"A Fire Pokemon? Should be an easy job for…Gyrados! I choose you!" Willy smirked. "Too bad, your pokemon will be extinguished."

A huge pokemon resembling a ferocious dragon materialized from the Pokeball. It had a blue body and a fierce glare. It looked at Combusken with an intimidating stare. Combusken shuddered, her attack stat lowered slightly.

"We'll see about that. Combusken, use Scratch!"

"Counter-react with Water Gun!"

The stream of water that projected from Gyrados' open mouth doused the poor Combusken. Combusken's Scratch attack also landed on its intended target.

"Oh no, Combusken! Can you get up?" Sara asked anxiously. Combusken grunted slightly and stood up a little shakily.

"You can do it Gyrados! Water Gun!" Willy commanded.

"Jump upward to evade the blast it with a Flamethrower," Sara yelled.

Combusken managed to evade the deadly waves of water and unleashed her own Flamethrower. Although less effective, it still managed to pull Gyrados' HP down a great deal. Gyrados roared in pain. A red mark appeared on its side where Combusken's attack had hit.

"Gyrados, try a Thrash!" Willy called out. Gyrados tried to launch its attack but recoiled in pain, roaring in agony as the burn on its side took effect.

"Combusken, Double Kick on its wounded side!"

Gyrados, who had not recovered completely from its Burn fell to its good side as its injury worsened due to Combusken's powerful Double Kicks.

"Gy-r-ra-dos." It panted.

"Ember, Combusken."

A dazzling display of fire came out of Combusken's mouth. The crimson and orange flames licked Gyrados' side and slowly spread across its body. Gyrados fainted, saved from being roasted to a crisp thanks to its Water element.

"Return, Gyrados. Good job." Willy muttered dejectedly.

"Yes, you did a good job too. Well done." Sara congratulated him. Willy shrugged and handed her 400 Pokedollars.

"Sorry, that's all I have."

Sara shook her head and pushed the money back towards Willy. "You can keep it. Goodbye. Call me if you want a rematch, okay?"

Willy brightened up. "I can?"

"Sure!"

He smiled and waved at her before walking towards the Pokemon Center.

"Ow…" Sara muttered as she cradled her right arm.

_You shouldn't have battled if your arm still hurts, Sara. _The Young Fowl's tone of voice was angry. And anxious for her Trainer.

Sara cracked a small grin. "You have to gain more experience, you know."

Combusken shook her head. _Humans…I'll never understand them._

Her trainer laughed softly at the pokemon's comment.

_What now?_ Combusken asked exasperatedly. Sara simply laughed louder than before. _Sheesh._

….

"You have to rest your arm for today if you want your arm to recover at all." Nurse Joy said firmly as she replaced the bandages on Sara's hand.

"But -" Sara protested.

"No buts."

"Aww…" Sara grumbled and slumped on the pillows.

"Steven should have stopped you from going outside just now. Your injury would have healed faster then. He should know better," Nurse Joy said disapprovingly. "So much for being the Champion of Hoenn."

"Yes, as the – _WHAT_?" Sara yelled in surprise.

Nurse Joy flinched. "The Champion of Hoenn."

_The Champion_…_of Hoenn._ Sara stared at Nurse Joy disbelievingly as she tried to swallow this piece of information. _I have to defeat him someday…. _She thought as the realization sank into her mind.

"I see."

The attractive young nurse raised an eyebrow. "You mean you didn't _know_?" she asked incredulously. Sara shook her head, feeling extremely stupid. A wave of guilt washed over her.

_I really have to apologize for my actions the next time I see him, _she thought guiltily.

…

The night passed without a trace of Steven. Sara was slightly disappointed. Perhaps she had hurt his feelings badly yesterday. This thought only increased her feelings of guilt for her immature behaviour yesterday, in this very room.

Reluctantly, Sara left the comfortable bed, folded the blankets neatly, and went to Nurse Joy to retrieve her pokemon. She placed the Pokeballs around her belt and exited the Pokemon Center.

Sara took a deep breath at the sight of the magnificent Gym before her. It was no different than Roxanne's on the outside. The interior, though, was pitch-black in darkness. "How do I see through this?" she puzzled.

"By defeating Trainers in the Gym." A voice spoke directly in front of her. Sara uttered a soft scream and tried to locate the person. "This place brightens up every time you defeat a Trainer. Continue to the end of this labyrinth to find Brawly." The voice definitely belonged to a male, although he could not be seen. "And remember that Brawly uses Fighting Pokemon," he said as an afterthought.

"T-Thank you." Sara muttered shakily and hurried on her way, feeling the walls to lead her on. This continued for some time without any disturbances from the Trainers in the Gym. This also meant that the light would not increase. Sara sighed and continued feeling the wall with her fingers.

"Welcome." A man said.

"Who are you?" Sara asked uncertainly. All that she could see of the person in front of her was a black shadow. From the vague outline, Sara deduced that he was a muscular man, even through the darkness.

"I am Brawly, the Gym Leader of the Dewford Gym. And you are?" Brawly questioned.

"I am Sara, and I wish to challenge you for the Knuckle Badge."

The shadow that was Brawly nodded. "Each of us may use two pokemon. You, as the challenger, may exchange pokemon as you wish, but I as the Gym Leader cannot. Is that understood?"

Sara nodded, anticipating the battle.

"Then let the battle commence!" the referee yelled, appearing out of nowhere. Lights flashed on from the sides of the spacious room Sara stumbled across, blinding her momentarily.

"Machop, go." Brawly said coolly. A blue creature appeared out of its Pokeball. Its muscles bulged out menacingly, and its red eyes enhanced its fierce looks.

"Machop?" Sara asked confusedly, pointing her pokedex at the creature. 'Machop, the Superpower Pokemon. It continually undertakes strenuous training to master all forms of martial arts. Its strength lets it hoist a sumo master onto its shoulders easily.'

"Machop's a Fighting type, so…I choose Taillow!" she cried. The Tiny Swallow Pokemon appeared in front of her. He chirped happily and flew to his Trainer's shoulder, where he pecked gently at Sara's ear.

"Ha ha, that tickles, Taillow! It's battle time now," Sara pointed out between giggles. Taillow stared at her confusedly for a moment before noticing the Machop standing imperiously before Brawly. He chirped and flew off Sara's shoulder, landing in front of Machop.

"Machop, Tackle!" Brawly commanded.

"Not so fast, Brawly! Wing Attack when it closes on you, Taillow," Sara shouted. Her pokemon remained calm, awaiting the arrival of her foe. Machop seemed to gather more speed as he prepared to ram into Taillow while Taillow spread out his wings and took off. Both attacks connected, causing Machop to stagger a few steps backwards and for Taillow to fly back, flapping his wings furiously to regain balance.

"Use another Wing Attack!"

"Counter it!"

Wing Attack was returned to its originator with double the force. Taillow cried out in pain; he did not expect his own attack to backfire on him. Machop smirked and returned into fighting stance.

"Now use Low Kick while that Taillow is on the floor." Brawly said.

"Fly up, Taillow! Hurry!" Sara cried out. Taillow heard his Trainer's words in the nick of time and flew upward towards the ceiling, barely avoiding Machop's attack.

"Now use Quick Attack on that Machop."

From his position near the ceiling, Taillow crashed down with incredible speed, lost to everyone's range of sight. Machop looked around confusedly for its foe. Taillow reappeared behind him.

"Machop, be -" Brawly warned. Too late.

With a battle cry, the courageous bird launched itself into its opponent's back. Machop cried out in pain and doubled over.

"Finish it with Peck!" Sara called. Taillow obeyed and nipped the Machop hard between its shoulder blades. Machop groaned and fell to the ground unconscious.

"Machop is unable to battle! The winner is Taillow and Sara!" the referee yelled. Sara jumped; she had forgotten about the referee.

"Return, Machop. You did great out there," Brawly said softly to his pokemon. He replaced Machop's Pokeball and pulled out another one. "Makuhita, you're next!"

A bright-orange blob materialized in front of him. This strange something had its eyes almost closed with a goofy smile on its face with two cheek pads not unlike a Pikachu's, albeit a different colour. Somehow, the top of its head was tied up in a knot.

"Makuhita." It said slowly.

"Huh? Is that a Pokemon?" Sara asked incredulously. Once again, she pointed her pokedex in the direction of Brawly's pokemon.

'Makuhita, the Guts Pokemon. It loves to toughen up its body above all else. If you hear quaking rumbles in a cave, it is the sound of Makuhita undertaking strenuous training.' Her pokedex rambled in a monotonous voice.

"Okay Makuhita, Tackle!" Brawly said. Makuhita obeyed and rushed towards Taillow speedily despite its huge size. A few steps away from Taillow, it tripped and fell onto the ground. Its looks portrayed surprise as it fell down. Taillow looked on in fear, knowing that there was no chance to avoid it. Poor Taillow was squashed under its weight.

"Ma-hita," Makuhita muttered, struggling to stand up. On the floor lay the unconscious Taillow, knocked out by Makuhita's body weight on its fragile body.

"Taillow is unable to battle! Makuhita and Brawly are the winners!" the referee cried, trying to stifle a giggle.

"Oh no! Taillow, are you all right?" Sara asked worriedly. "Return." She fumbled with Combusken's Pokeball with her left hand, for her right was still rather sore. Her belt had been twisted to the left to enable her to throw Pokeballs using her left.

"Combusken, come out!" Sara called, tossing the Pokeball into the field. Combusken came out of it in a flash of brilliant white light.

"Combusken!" her pokemon screeched.

"Start of with Ember! Torch that Makuhita that squashed Taillow!" Sara commanded.

_It squashed Taillow? I'm not surprised, seeing that lump's amount of fat, _Combusken said, amused.

"Just attack already," Sara snapped. Combusken shrugged, powered up its strength and unleashed an Ember attack, scorching Makuhita. Makuhita came out of the furnace almost unscathed.

"Now Seismic Toss!" Brawly hollered. Makuhita gathered its strength and hoisted Combusken up into the air. Combusken's look registered surprise.

"Combusken, try to Peck it!"

Combusken tried, to no avail. Makuhita lifted her above its head, grunting with the effort. Clearly, it had not done much training in a while.

"Use Scratch horizontally! Maybe you can hit it!" Sara cried. She didn't like the idea of the 190.50Ibs Makuhita squashing her Combusken in the least. Combusken's talons managed to Scratch Makuhita's arms, drawing a small amount of blood. The Guts Pokemon cried out in pain and threw its foe into the air.

_Uh-oh, _Combusken muttered as she soared higher, closer to the ceiling. Soon gravity took control of her and started to pull her down, down to the ground. _Aaah! _She yelled, terror-stricken.

"Try falling onto Makuhita to break your fall!" Sara suggested desperately.

"No way! Makuhita, get out of the way NOW!" Brawly shouted.

"Double Kick Makuhita before it runs off, Combusken!"

"Makuhita, evade it!"

The Makuhita was too slow to escape Combusken's powerful kicks. _One, _Combusken counted. As soon as her foot contacted with Makuhita's layer of fat, she bounced higher in the air than she was before.

_What's happening? Help me, Sara! _Combusken yelled.

"Help, help, oh, I get it!" Sara cried as Combusken began her descent down to the unwelcoming ground below.

_Hurry!_

"I got it! Peck Makuhita when you make contact, and don't let go once you do." Sara said, an idea forming in her head.

Combusken obeyed and prepared to fall head first onto the Guts Pokemon below, still dazed from Combusken's first kick. It shook its head to clear it of dizziness.

"Look out Makuhita!" Brawly shouted.

Once again, the Gym Leader's warning came a split second too late. Combusken hit Makuhita on the head and held on with Peck. She nearly bounced off but tightened her grip with her beak on Makuhita. Makuhita screamed and tried to get rid of Combusken.

"Makuhita, use Arm Thrust to throw Combusken off!" Brawly suggested. Makuhita's hand glowed and came crashing down on Combusken's cheek.

_OW! _She cried. Makuhita delivered another Arm Thrust, this time to her beak. Combusken's beak nearly cracked at the impact.

"Wait, how could Arm Thrust be used multiple times?" Sara protested.

"Arm Thrust attacks two to five times each time it is used. So there is nothing wrong with that," Brawly explained.

"Oh," Sara said. She felt stupid.

Makuhita delivered another blow, this time aimed at her leg. Combusken fell to the ground, hugging her hurt leg. Makuhita stood over the crouching pokemon and prepared its final blow.

"Combusken, Flamethrower!" Sara cried.

Makuhita's arm came down as a burst of flames erupted from Combusken's beak. Both their Trainers held their breaths. Makuhita was still engulfed in a burning inferno, blocking it from view. A heavy haze of smoke prevented Sara and Brawly from seeing the outcome of their pokemon's attacks.

As the smoke cleared, Sara peered into the haze, trying to see her pokemon. Combusken was still obscured from view.

"Makuhita!" Brawly shouted into the haze. A low grunt was heard in the middle of the haze. Both Trainers watched apprehensively as the smoke cleared even more. They could now see the silhouettes of the two pokemon, both crouching down on the ground. Neither moved from their spot.

"Makuhita!" Brawly shouted.

"Combusken, are you all right? Please, answer me!" Sara begged.

Combusken and Makuhita remained unmoving. Their Trainers watched them with bated breath. A few minutes passed, each second that ticked away seemed an eternity apart. Still both pokemon prevailed. Sara clenched her fists hard in anxiety. Tension filled the air.

Makuhita groaned and fell down. Combusken looked close to unconsciousness too but she managed to outlast Makuhita during those crucial moments. Sara stared as she tried to digest the news. Makuhita had fallen. Combusken was still crouching down, but she was conscious. That means….

"I won?" Sara said disbelievingly.

Brawly sighed and recalled Makuhita, whispering words of praise to it. "Yes, you did. Congratulations."

Sara's face broke into a huge grin. "YAY! We won!"

"You and Combusken did very well. No Trainers had defeated me for a very long time." he confessed. Sara's eyes grew wide.

"_REALLY?_"

Brawly nodded and handed her an Official Pokemon League Badge as well as a TM. "Therefore I present you, the challenger, with the Knuckle Badge." Sara whooped and hugged her Combusken.

"And I also reward you with this TM. It contains Bulk Up, which boosts Attack and Defense stats when used."

"Thank you," Sara said graciously and accepted the Badge, the TM and some money with both hands.

Brawly bowed. "My pleasure, Miss Sara."

Sara returned his bow, recalled Combusken and retreated from the Gym, which lit up fully after her Gym Battle.

"Wow, that was a great battle." Sara sighed as she stretched herself, tired after challenging the Gym. "_OW!_"

"I shouldn't forget about my arm ever again," she said to herself as she held her right arm.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi you readers out there! I can't believe I managed to write 10 chapters! It's almost unbelievable to me. Anyway, I would like to thank these people who had graciously spent some time to rate my story:

AnimeCrazy88

coolzonegurl

dragonrullz

firemaster90

PokemonGymLeaderSabrina

wolf-lvr-1

Forta

GryphonSentinal

Aenlic

….

Bye for now! Hear from you soon (I hope)!


	11. Slateport City

I would like to thank **AnimeCrazy88**, **PokemonGymLeaderSabrina** and **coolzonegurl **for reviewing. Their reviews, along with the others I've received before Chapter 10 really helped. Thanks!

….

**11. Slateport City**

"Hello there lass! Delivered that Letter yet?" Mr. Briney asked as Sara approached him (he was waiting in the boat, remember?). Sara nodded happily.

"Yes, I did. And see!" Sara held out her palm with pride. "I got the Knuckle Badge!"

"Good for you, lass. Your best choice right now is to continue to Mauville City following the route to the north of Slateport." Mr. Briney informed her.

"How do I get to Slateport?" Sara asked him. As far as she knew, Dewford was the only island around for miles.

"I'll help you, of course! Do you think I waited here for nothing?" Mr. Briney scolded, hurt that she forgot about him.

Sara was surprised. "You mean that we have to cross the sea to reach Slateport?"

Mr. Briney nodded impatiently. "Of course you do, lass! Did you forget about Dewford being the only island for miles?" Sara smacked her head.

"I knew, but – oh, I guess I just asked a very stupid question, huh?"

"You sure did," Mr. Briney said. "Hop in. I can't wait to go out to sea again."

….

Sara laughed in delight. The cool spray that hit her face was cold. The ferocious wind that whipped her hair around madly made it feel even colder. Yet Sara sat there, watching the foam formed in the wake of the speedboat. Eventually, the boat slowed to a stop.

"This is Slateport." Mr. Briney announced. "Just walk up the beach. You'll be there once you ascend those steps there. See?"

Sara craned her neck to look over the pile of sand that formed the beach. "You mean that one to my left?"

The latter nodded. "Yes, that's right! Go on, Sara."

Sara stared at him for a moment. "Won't you go home?" she asked awkwardly.

Mr. Briney scoffed. "Home? The cabin of my boat is as good, nay, better than a house any day."

"As you wish, Mr. Briney."

The latter saluted her smartly before retreating into the cabin to rest and enjoy the waves.

Trudging up the beach, Sara spied a red roof, followed by a brown wooden house. A young girl was standing in the shade, away from the sweltering hot sun.

"Come in and buy some cool Soda Pop!" she called. "Pokemon love it, especially on a hot day like this!" As if to emphasize on her point, she fed some of the drink to a Marill. The Marill drank it with satisfaction.

"Marrillll!" it sighed happily.

Sara was amused. The girl beckoned to her. The young Trainer complied, glad to have an excuse to shelter from the sun.

"Would you like one, big sister?" she asked hopefully. "Here, you can taste it first." She handed a full bottle of Soda Pop to Sara, who took it readily. Sara took a sip of the enticingly cool beverage. Her eyes widened in delight.

"Wow! This is…what can I say! It's delicious!"

The girl grinned happily. "So would you buy some from my Daddy?"

"Yeah, sure! I'll go in and buy some right now!"

Without further ado, Sara entered the beach house and walked towards a cheerful-looking man clad in an apron. He was talking animatedly to a woman wearing a bikini.

"Um…excuse me." Sara said. The man turned around. He hitched a huge grin on his face as he muttered an apology to the woman before him. She dismissed it and indicated to him to serve his customer. With a grateful smile to the woman he turned to face Sara.

"Welcome to the beach house! Can I interest you in some delicious, cooling Soda Pop? You can't refuse, especially on a hot day like this. Very refreshing!" he boomed. As if to emphasize his point, he licked his lips.

Sara smiled politely. "Yes, sir. I wanted to buy some Soda Pop for my pokemon and myself to drink."

"How many do you desire to buy? Only 300 Pokedollars a bottle!"

"Hmm…." Sara pondered, estimating the amount she could carry in her backpack. The shopkeeper yawned in boredom.

"Tell you what. You defeat the Trainers in this beach house and I will reward you with half a dozen Soda Pops. It's really boring here, I could really do with some fiery battles," he suggested. Sara looked up. He really _did_ look bored to tears, she thought.

"Okay!" Sara agreed and walked up to a boy wearing a swimming tube around his waist. "Hey, wanna battle? My name is Sara." She greeted him. He looked surprised but agreed to her challenge.

"My name's Sam," he said a little timidly. "And I accept your challenge. Azurill, I choose you!"

A blue pokemon appeared from the Pokeball Sam threw. It pictured cuteness as it bounced on its tail, which ended in a huge ball, almost as big as the pokemon itself. It was on this ball the pokemon perched on.

"Azurrill!" it cried in a shrill voice then bounced over to Sam, brushing its head against its Trainer's leg. Sam patted the pokemon and spoke gently to it.

"It's battle time, Rilla. Battle for me, okay?" he asked softly. Azurill bounced happily on its tail and returned to the field. Sara had released her Combusken by then and was pointing her pokedex at the Azurill.

_Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokemon. It is the pre-evolution form of Marill. Its tail, which is packed with nutrition, is very bouncy like a rubber ball. On sunny days, they gather at the edge of water and splash about for fun._ Her pokedex droned monotonously.

"Aww, it's still a baby! So cute!" Sara sighed. Sam smiled mischievously.

"Don't judge by looks, Sara. Azurill, Bubblebeam!"

Azurill obeyed, sending a number of fragile-looking bubbles at Combusken. Sara and her pokemon stared at them blankly.

"Why did you blow bubbles?" Sara wondered aloud. Being curious, Combusken extended a talon to burst the bubble. She screeched in pain when the bubble popped, sending a small spray of water onto the Young Fowl's claws. More bubbles hit Combusken in rapid succession. Luckily, the Bubblebeam was weak and did not do much damage.

"Oh no, Combusken! Are you all right? Try using Tackle!" Sara called anxiously. Combusken had managed to stand her ground during the 'harmless' bubbles' attack and now ran fast in the direction of the puny Azurill.

"Azurill, use another Bubblebeam!" Sam said, smirking. "Your pokemon's going down, sister."

"Don't be so sure, Sam. Combusken, jump up!" Sara replied. Combusken gathered her energy and made a tremendous leap upwards. Unfortunately, the bubbles followed her up, blown by the air current when Combusken jumped. Sara groaned.

"Ember on the bubbles!" Sara said, an idea forming in her head. Her pokemon opened her beak wide and spewed a jet of red-hot flames at the bubbles. The bubbles evaporated under the heat emanated from the flames. The fire didn't stop there. It continued downwards, striking Azurill head-on.

"Azzzurriill!" it cried in pain, the flames licking at its blue fur.

"Azurill, try a Tackle to get out of the flames!" Sam ordered. Azurill obeyed and used Tackle to escape the furnace. The poor pokemon's blue coating was now tinged with black from the ashes. Azurill ran around the area squealing, a trail of fire on its tail.

"Double Kick when it comes near, Combusken."

Combusken readied itself, standing in the squealing Azurill's path. It lifted its leg. Still the Azurill came nearer. Sara wondered why until she saw that the pokemon's eyes were covered by soot. Sara pitied it just a little bit before Combusken's foot made contact with its body. The impact sent it flying across the room and hit the opposite wall with an unpleasant _THWACK_! Azurill lay down unconscious on the wooden floor, its eyes swirling.

"Yay! We won, Combusken! We won!" Sara cheered.

"Return, Azurill. You did very well and you deserve a rest." Sam consoled his pokemon.

"Rii…." It whispered before turning red, disappearing into the Pokeball. Sam turned around to face his challenger. He stared at her. No one spoke for a moment.

"So, you won." He said heavily. Sara nodded awkwardly. "Here, receive your prize money." He handed her a stack of Pokedollars with Sara accepted with thanks. She then walked towards the woman the shopkeeper was talking to earlier.

"Miss? May I battle you? I am Sara." Sara asked politely. The woman was surprised but agreed. She introduced herself as Martha.

"Zigzagoon, I choose you!" Sara called. The woman did likewise, summoning her own Zigzagoon.

"Start with Tackle!" Sara called.

"Zigoon, use Tail Whip then Headbutt!" Martha ordered. Sara's Zigzagoon hit Zigoon and received the Tail Whip. Before Zigoon's head made contact, however, he had jumped upwards, evading the attack.

"Headbutt!" Sara yelled. Her Zigzagoon came downwards as gravity took hold of him, head first. The force of gravity added to Zigzagoon's weight, which was not much anyway, increased the power of his attack. Zigoon was knocked out after taking the hit. Martha marveled at the strength of Sara's pokemon.

"Wow, your Zigzagoon is very strong! It's partly my fault too for not training Zigoon," she admitted as she handed the prize money to Sara. The latter thanked her for the compliment, recalled her Zigzagoon and returned to the shopkeeper after exchanging goodbyes with Martha.

The man was out of breath. "Whew! That was one heck of a battle, girl! That was real hot! Here, as I promised. Half a dozen of Soda Pops. Congratulations!" he said warmly. Sara smiled and accepted the Soda Pops.

"Thank you sir! I'll be going now," she said. The man turned around to look at the woman in the bikini. The woman had sat down on a chair nearby and was now leaning on the armrest, looking the very picture of boredom.

"Okay. See you," he said hastily before returning to his companion. She was rather disgruntled at being disturbed but otherwise pleased that she could resume her talk. She started ranting about nothing in particular as the man listened, pretending to be interested in the subject. Poor man!

Sara exited the beach house. The little girl she saw earlier was sitting down on a huge beach chair, sleeping peacefully. Sara smiled to herself and continued on her way to Slateport City.

….

"Come and buy! Great things to buy!" someone shouted.

"Great wares to sell! Power boosts for your pokemon!" another shouted.

The rest were indistinguishable from the hubbub of the vendors in the Slateport Market. To top it all off, many people were shouting angrily at each other when a person hit them, which was common due to the cramped space in the overcrowded market. Sara tried her best to ignore it and continued hurriedly away from the crowd. She hated being squashed and pushed about in one.

Finally, after what seemed forever, she managed to get out of the market. She sighed in relief. It was then that she spotted a red coloured building with a gray roof. It stood out strikingly against the greenery behind it.

"I wonder what that building holds," she whispered to herself. Without hesitating, she went into the building. What she saw made her gasp in surprise. The pokemon of the Trainers there had glossy coats (if they had fur) and bright eyes. One thing was certain: all the pokemon had a sense of style. The way they looked, even the way they walked, were graceful. They held up their heads up proudly whenever they moved. Sara spied a Vulpix sleeping on the ground nearby. It seemed to show itself off even during sleep. Its cute brownish-red face was on its paws while its tails were placed adoringly beside its sleek body. Its beautifully brushed fur and glossy coat only enhanced its beauty. Sara felt her heart go out to the sleeping pokemon.

"Why Sara! I didn't expect to see you so soon!" a female voice called over the noise of the crowd. The Vulpix woke up, extremely pissed off. She glared for a moment at May, who was ignorant that she just disturbed a pokemon's beauty sleep. The Vulpix opened her mouth revealing dozens of small yet sharp teeth.

"May -" Sara tried to warn her. Too late. A stream of fire aimed at May hit its target. The fire danced about, a beautiful display of golden red flames, before fading. It left behind a very charred May, who exhaled smoke from her mouth. The Vulpix was satisfied and lay down to resume her sleep, curling herself into a ball in the cutest way you can think of.

"What – was – that – for…?" May sputtered as she released another puff of smoke. Sara could hardly restrain herself from laughing. She only managed with extreme effort on her part. Some people did not bother to try and were instead laughing openly at the sight of the blackened May.

For May's part, she had realized the cause of the crowd's laughter and was now advancing angrily on them. Her rage easily overcame the frustration of the Vulpix earlier. "What. Are. You. Laughing. At." She snarled, her eyes flashing dangerously. The laughter stopped the instant she began to speak. She pointed in the direction of the counter. The crowd around them hastily dispersed and returned to whatever they were doing earlier. The Vulpix that had caused this commotion was nowhere to be seen.

May stormed back to Sara, who was still trying to suppress a giggle. Luckily, she succeeded and pasted a pitying smile on her face when a very angry May approached her. Sara patted May's back gingerly and cringed when she saw black soot flying about. She immediately stopped her actions and instead proceeded to talk to the extremely enraged girl before her.

"Come on May, don't take it so harshly." Sara said soothingly. May simply fumed even more and ignored her friend's words. "The Vulpix didn't mean to do it." May froze.

_Uh-oh._ Sara thought. _Wrong thing to say. Now she's even madder!_ Hastily she started using comforting words and praise on May to calm her increasing anger.

"WHOSE POKEMON WAS IT?" May asked dangerously despite Sara's attempts to soothe her ruffled feathers. Sara flinched and took a step back. May looked ferocious when she was angry.

"I-I don't know, M-May. Maybe you should just forget about it," Sara suggested timidly. As before, May ignored her and continued scanning the area for the Vulpix. A boy came walking in through the huge doors of the building – which, as Sara gathered from the talks of fellow Trainers – was the Pokemon Contest Hall. He had yellow (or was it green?) hair and held a rose in his hand. He wore a purple shirt over a black, long-sleeved one. Besides that, he donned casual blue jeans and brown leather shoes.

"May!" the boy exclaimed and bowed respectfully to her.

"Drew…." May growled. She did _not_ like to see her enemy _anywhere_, especially here, in a _Pokemon Contest Hall_. Sara saw her reaction and pulled at Drew's arm, drawing him away from a seething May.

"She's very angry right now. I advise you not to approach her," Sara whispered into his ear. Drew laughed softly when he heard the tale of May being scorched but stopped abruptly when he sensed her angry glare trained on his back.

"Is that it?" he asked pleasantly after Sara filled him in on the details. "No problem, I have dealt with situations like this before. May Maple is not a problem to me. Nothing I can't handle." He flipped back a stray strand of hair stylishly and retraced his steps back to May. Her temper was not improving, and it was getting worse, if possible, by the mere presence of Drew.

"Get…out…of…my sight!" she growled. Drew seemed undaunted as he came closer to her. "You asked for it," she muttered as she released her Mudkip discreetly from behind. "Douse him with water."

Mudkip obeyed and released a spray of water directed at his legs. Drew felt the sudden wetness on his legs and looked down to see his pants wet.

"What happened?" he asked himself, perplexed. He scratched his head in confusion.

"Why, did wittle Drew wost contwol over his bladder?" May asked innocently. Inside though, she was smirking at him for falling for such a cheap trick.

Drew glared at her for a moment. A shadow of anger passed over his face but was quickly covered by a smile. Regaining his composure, he noticed several people staring at him in disgust. "Nothing to see here people. Go back to whatever you were doing earlier," he drawled in an I-don't-care-ish way. Like the incident with May, the crowd dispersed, assuming there was nothing to see. They were right at that.

Casually, he returned his gaze to May, who replied with a glare. His features still retained its smile. "Anything to please you, my lady," he said graciously. May scowled and turned away from him.

Sara sensed the tension between the two and quickly stepped in to intervene. "Okay, enough talk!" she said, feigning a smile. "Is anyone going to teach me about Pokemon Contests? Because I don't have an inkling about this Contest thing."

Both of them agreed. "Pokemon Contests are where the pokemon of Trainers compete. There are five types of Contests. They are Cool, Beauty, Smart, Tough and Cute." May and Drew said simultaneously. May glared at Drew, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"The Pokemon Contest Hall here hosts the Hyper Rank Competition." May started.

"You have to start from square one, of course. The Normal Rank Competition is held in Verdanturf, the Super Rank Competition in Fallabor, the Hyper Rank Competition here -" Drew pointed to the counter "- and the Master Rank Competition in Lilycove."

"In a Pokemon Contest, pokemon parade around and show off their attacks. If that move captures the judge's attention, the next move will receive extra points if chosen with care. This is called a Combo." May countered, trying to outsmart Drew.

"On the other hand, if you manage to catch the crowd's attention, you will gain an extra point on the applause bar. When the bar is nearly full and your pokemon performs a move that has the same Condition as the Contest type you entered, you gain several extra points. It really gives a boost," Drew added eagerly.

"But if you use a move that does not apply to the specific Contest you're entering, you'll lose favor with the audience. There are two Secondary Conditions for each type of Contest you enter." May finished. With an angry snarl, she turned to face the boy.

"Why did you keep cutting into my speech, Drew? Didn't you know that is rude?" May asked the boy exasperatedly. Drew shrugged and smiled at her. She growled in frustration as Sara sweatdropped. She was dazed over the huge amount of information she received on that particular subject. Suddenly she remembered the package for Captain Stern in – what was that place called again? – oh, yes, Shipyard.

"Uh guys, I've got to go. See you," Sara called over her shoulder at the enemies. May nodded curtly while Drew bowed graciously to her.

"Let's see, Shipyard…oh, I've found it!" Sara muttered as she scanned the map. She walked towards the direction of a huge building that resembled a warehouse, in her opinion. "Uh, hello?" she asked hesitantly, peering into the building.

"May I help you miss?" a young man asked pleasantly, looking up from a blueprint he was observing.

Sara was relieved to find someone in the huge and seemingly abandoned building. "Yes, thank you. I would like to see Captain Stern."

"May I know the reason?" the man prompted.

"I need to deliver the Devon Goods to him personally." Sara told him.

He looked surprised. "The Devon Goods!" he mouthed when he saw the package in her arms.

"I'm sorry, but Captain Stern isn't here at the moment. Can I get you to deliver it to him?" the man asked pleadingly. Sara sighed but agreed.

"Where is he?"

The man shrugged. "I don't know. He went off somewhere claiming that he had some work to do."

Sara groaned. "Another search! And I thought I had reached the end of this!" she stormed as she went out of Shipyard.

"Sara! I didn't expect to see you here!" A male voice said behind her.

_Not again! Everyone's been saying that today!_ She groaned inwardly but turned to face the person with a smile. Her smile faltered when she saw….

"Hey, don't you remember me anymore?" Wilson teased. Sara squealed and pulled him into a warm hug.

"Wilson!"

Wilson pushed her away gently. "Whoa, don't get hyper. Why are you here?"

"Hm?" Sara mumbled. "I need to deliver the De -" she stopped, unsure whether to spill the beans or not.

"You need to deliver the…?" Wilson asked.

"I need to deliver something to Captain Stern, but I don't know where he is." She blurted out. Wilson smiled.

"That's it? While searching for him, why don't we visit the Oceanic Museum? I would be fun," he suggested. Sara agreed and followed him to the museum.

"Hello and welcome to the Oceanic Museum. The entrance fee is 50 Pokedollars per person, please," a woman at the counter said politely. Both Trainers dug in their pockets for the money and handed it to her. The receptionist bowed politely and allowed them entrance.

What a surprise, for the Oceanic Museum was full of Team Magma members! Sara and Wilson gasped when they saw them milling around restlessly as if waiting for something, or someone. The Magma members caught sight of them at the same moment.

"You seem familiar, girl." A member squinted. His face cleared as he remembered the encounter in Petalburg Woods. "Ah, you're the girl back in Petalburg Woods. I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to intervene now."

Sara frowned. She remembered him as the man she saw in Petalburg Woods earlier. The one whose gaze sent cold shivers down her spine. Wilson simply looked on, his brown eyes alert.

"Attack them." The Magma member, apparently an Admin by his clothes, ordered the thugs behind him. In a blink of an eye, the peaceful Oceanic Museum turned into a battle arena. Both Wilson and Sara were surrounded by approximately a dozen thugs.

Two thugs stepped forward and released their pokemon, a Zubat and a Mightyena. Sara glanced at her friend. "Care to join me?" Wilson grinned, nodded, and took his place beside her.

"Kirlia, I choose you!" Sara cried passionately.

"Machoke, I choose you." Wilson said smoothly. Both pokemon appeared in front of their respective Trainers, ready for battle.

"Kirlia, use Confusion on Zubat!" Sara began.

"Machoke, stand behind Kirlia to avoid the waves." Wilson ordered.

"Dodge and use Supersonic!" one Grunt growled.

"Bite Kirlia." That was the other Grunt.

"Kirlia dodge then use Psychic to finish Zubat off!" Sara encouraged her pokemon. "You're doing a great job!"

"Machoke, use Arm Thrust on Mightyena," Wilson commanded. Machoke obeyed and began to hit Mightyena mercilessly multiple times. Mightyena fainted on the last hit. At the same moment, Zubat fell onto the ground in a daze, no longer fit to battle.

"Hmm…" The Magma Admin wondered. He had seen something his teammates had not. Sara's eyes had glowed a bright silver during the entire battle. He could have sworn her eyes were blue before. "Could she be the fabled Legendary Keeper?"

The time it took him to figure out Sara's mysterious identity was enough for Sara and Wilson to take on and defeat four pairs of Team Magma Grunts. "Sara. You go upstairs to check if any thugs are there. If so, battle them if you can. I'll handle those here. Banette, come forth!" Wilson ordered. A Ghost pokemon appeared before him, mostly black in colour and smiling sinisterly.

"Banette," it hissed.

Sara nodded and ran up the stairs adjoining the ground floor to the upper floor. Silently, the Team Magma Admin followed, noticing that her eyes were slowly reverting into its usual cheery blue colour.

Nothing out of place greeted her when she arrived. It looked absolutely normal. No thugs, no people present. Wait, something moved there. Cautiously, Sara tiptoed to whatever it was. The Magma Admin followed stealthily behind her.

"Aah! Who are you?" A man exclaimed from behind an ancient piece of relic saved from, uh, somewhere under the sea. Sara jumped; she didn't expect him to stand up all of a sudden. The Magma Admin frowned. What was Captain Stern here for?

"I am Sara."

"Are you acquainted with those brutes downstairs in any way?" he asked warily. The Admin bristled at being called 'the brutes' by this man but he remained silent. It would not do to blow off his cover now.

The man relaxed. "I am Captain Stern. Were you looking for me?"

"Yes. I would like to hand the Devon Goods to you, sir." Sara showed him the package she dug out of her bag.

Captain Stern's eyes widened. "But that's the Devon Goods! I heard that Team Aqua had stolen it earlier. But it was recovered and handed to a trusted Trainer to be handed to me. Is that you?" he enquired.

Sara nodded embarrassedly.

"Then I must thank you! What can I do for you?" Captain Stern said warmly. Sara was about to deny the offer when the Magma Admin sprung out of his hiding place behind an ancient artifact.

"You can hand that Devon Goods to me, for instance," he sneered as he tried to snatch the package from Captain Stern's slackened grasp. He failed as Sara stopped him from doing so.

"A pokemon battle then." He offered coldly. Sara nodded curtly and placed herself several feet away from her challenger.

"Kirlia, I choose you!" Sara called. The graceful Emotion Pokemon appeared in front of her with an angry trill. She was none the worse for her battles earlier downstairs.

"This should be an easy job for Mightyena," the man smirked as he released a magnificent black dog to battle. Mightyena roared, intimidating Kirlia and thus lowering her Attack stat slightly.

"Sand Attack then Bite Kirlia," the Admin drawled, almost lazily. Mightyena looked around, pawing at the ground dismally. The Team Magma Admin then realized that there was no sand in the vicinity for Mightyena to throw. "Curses! Proceed with Bite!"

"Double Team then Magical Leaf!" Sara ordered.

Mightyena halted when it saw multiple Kirlia surrounding it. It looked around confusedly. All the Kirlia started throwing leaves at the confused Mightyena.

"Mightyena! Focus then use Bite when you sense Kirlia," the Admin ordered.

"Kirlia, Calm Mind then Teleport when you see Mightyena approaching!" Sara shouted.

Kirlia stood her ground and calmed herself, raising her Special Attack and Special Defense. She then glowed and disappeared into thin air when Mightyena was about to clamp its jaws onto her. Once again, she left a very confused Mightyena behind. Sara could sense Kirlia high above the battle, observing for the perfect time to strike.

"Odor Sleuth, Mightyena!"

Mightyena obeyed and sniffed the air. Kirlia's enhanced abilities were returned to normal.

"Now Magical Leaf right at its eyes!" Sara said.

Kirlia reappeared directly in front of Mightyena. Before the startled pokemon could react, she threw a barrage of leaves at the canine, aimed at its eyes. Mightyena howled in pain and shook its head, trying to lessen the pain. The razor-sharp leaves drew a little blood.

"Finish with another Magical Leaf, Kirlia."

"Not so fast," the Admin reprimanded her. "Mightyena use your sense of hearing to locate Kirlia and the leaves. Dodge the leaves and Bite Kirlia. Understand?"

Mightyena roared and pricked up its ears. It made a tremendous leap upwards, where only a few leaves hit it. Nevertheless, it was enough to make Mightyena lose its balance and it fell down onto the cold floor. The impact knocked out its breath and it lay there, immobile.

"Mightyena, return. You're worse than I expected." The Admin growled. Sara narrowed her eyes. She did _not_ like to hear abusive words hurled at pokemon. Her eyes flashed a bright silver.

"We'll need you, Keeper. Very important, you are. I see why Teams Aqua and Universal wants you now." The Team Magma Admin said as he disappeared with a swish of his cloak.

….

"Banette, let's finish this off quick." Wilson ordered. His Banette nodded. "Use Hypnosis on that Zubat then Dream Eater."

Banette obeyed, sending some waves towards the Zubat before it. It cried out helplessly as it slowly fell onto the ground, asleep. Then Banette proceeded with Dream Eater, draining HP from the Bat Pokemon. Zubat fainted instantly.

"Use Hypnosis again, this time on everyone here!" Wilson said. Once again, Banette released waves, this time spreading it wide across the entire room. Team Magma members started dropping down into a deep slumber until all of them were asleep. A few were even snoring loudly.

Wilson grinned. This was going way easier than he predicted. "Good job, Banette," he praised as he recalled Banette into its Pokeball. "Time to check on Sara."

….

Sara stared at the spot where the man had vanished. Great. Now everyone knows me. She sighed unhappily.

"You defeated him!" Captain Stern muttered breathlessly. "I thank you. Now the Devon Goods is secured, I can start right away."

"Um…Captain Stern, did you hear the man's last words?" Sara asked in barely more than a whisper. Captain Stern shook his head.

"I wish I had, though. It might be a threat in the future."

_Yes, it is a threat in the future…for me._ Sara thought darkly. A person's heavy stomping climbing up the stairs interrupted her musings. Her muscles tensed as she awaited the arrival of the newcomer. Her shoulders relaxed when she saw a jet-black head of messy hair followed by the rest Wilson's body.

"You okay Sara?" he asked, concerned. Sara nodded. Wilson then spotted the old sea captain behind her. "And who are you, sir?" he asked warily.

"I am Captain Stern," the sea captain introduced himself. Wilson bowed politely to him. "And I would like to thank this girl here for saving me as well as the Devon Goods."

Wilson stared at the package. "That was the 'something' you told me about?" he raised an eyebrow at Sara. She nodded sheepishly. "What's so secret about it that you can't tell me?" he sounded hurt. Sara was surprised and guilty at the same time. She had not meant to hurt his feelings.

"I thought we were childhood friends."

"You are, Wilson. I trust you," Sara said desperately.

"Yet you wouldn't, no, couldn't share such trivial information with me." Wilson said sadly.

"We'll talk after we get out of here, okay?" Sara said evasively. She pulled Wilson towards the stairs, leaving a very puzzled Captain Stern behind.

"Why, Sara?" Wilson started as soon as they exited the Oceanic Museum.

"I-I'm sorry." That was all she could say.

"I liked you a lot. So much that I never so much as went out with a girl before and this is what I get?" he said bitterly.

Sara was shocked. She didn't expect Wilson to like her. Sure, she had fancied him when she was younger, but now…she had suspected that he already had a girlfriend anyway, seeing how dashing he had become. That was why she gave up on him after he left, although she still retained a soft spot in her heart for him. She didn't expect him to wait for her all these years!

"I-I d-don't -" she stammered, speechless. Wilson simply looked away.

"Why didn't you keep your promise to me?" he whispered.

"Promise…." Sara whispered to herself.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What's the promise? Read the next chapter to find out! The next chapter would mostly be devoted to Sara's love triangle, her musings about Steven and Wilson. Who does she like more? Anyway, the next chapter might be a little short because I don't really know anything about love triangles. Sorry!


	12. The Promise

**The Promise**

_"Catch the ball Sara!" Wilson shouted gleefully. Sara grinned and held her arms out for the ball. Their parents lazed about under the sun. Both of them were ten years old then._

_The vibrantly coloured ball sailed past Sara's outstretched arms and went out of sight behind some dangerous looking rocks. "Aww, it went too far," Sara pouted as she ran off to retrieve it._

_She searched high and low for it, to no avail. Sara was puzzled. Wouldn't a very colourful ball be easy to spot?_

_"Wilson, I can't find it!" she yelled as she emerged from behind the rock. _

_"You can't?" Wilson repeated sadly. It had been his favourite beach ball. He looked downcast as he walked towards Sara. "Come on, let's search for it together."_

_"Okay!"_

_Hand-in-hand, both children set off to find the lost ball. They met with a dead end. Still the ball eluded them._

_"Hey, look! There's a cave there! Do you think the ball rolled in?" Sara suggested. Wilson looked at it and shuddered._

_"It looks creepy in there, Sara. You sure you want to go in?"_

_Sara nodded firmly. "I lost your ball, so I must find it." She marched forwards to the entrance of the cave._

_"Hey Willie! I found your ball!" Sara yelled gleefully, pointing at the ball, which had stopped right at the edge of the 'cave'. Wilson observed the surroundings carefully._

_"Wait, Sara. Don't go there yet," he cautioned as he slowly made his way down to where Sara now stood. He looked closely at the 'cave'. "That's not a cave, Sara. That's a chasm."_

_"Chasm?" Sara said blankly. "What's that?"_

_"Just don't go near it, Sara."_

_"Okay. But I have to get your ball back." Sara's fingers were now inches away from the ball._

_At that precise moment, a gust of wind sent the ball rolling dangerously to the edge of the wide chasm. Sara nearly lost her balance and she hung onto a piece of jagged rock for dear life. Another short gust of wind sent in right into the yawning mouth of the chasm. Sara let out a cry and reached out in order to catch the ball._

_"No, Sara! Let it fall," Wilson yelled, not wanting his best friend to fall into the gorge in the same way the ball did. Sara obeyed, very reluctantly._

_"But what about your ball?" she asked lamely, squatting down beside the gaping hole, one hand still firmly wrapped around the rock._

_"Forget it," Wilson said firmly. "You're way more precious than that ball anyway."_

_Sara shook her head. "I don't care! I lost your ball, so the least I can do is to replace it," she countered._

_Wilson scratched his head in thought. "Okay, you can replace it…but not with another ball. I want a promise," he said at last. Sara was surprised but nodded._

_"You know that I'm moving soon, right?" _

_Sara nodded, subdued._

"_I want your promise to wait for me until I return."_

_She stared at him disbelievingly. He wanted that promise? But why?_

"_Do…do you l-like me, Wilson?" she asked timidly. Wilson nodded, turning a light shade of pink._

_Sara slowly smiled. "Okay. I promise."_

_Wilson grinned and offered his hand to her to help her get up. She grasped it, still smiling happily._

….

"I was trusting you, Sara," Wilson said painfully.

"I-I'm sorry, okay? Let me think this straight. Give me some time," Sara implored him.

Wilson sighed heavily. "If you must." He stood up, brushed the dirt of his pants and turned away.

Sara watched his retreating back. She felt immensely guilty now, if not before. Her heart twisted and writhed in pain. She felt as if she had betrayed him, her best friend. Her mind was in turmoil. Who did she like more? Steven Stone, or Wilson Stone?

Sara sighed. Against her will, Kirlia popped out of her Pokeball and sat down beside her Trainer.

_What is wrong, Keeper? I sense distress, _Kirlia asked in a soft voice. Sara ignored her and continued thinking deeply, each passing second tearing her heart apart slowly and painfully.

She thought about the moments she shared with Wilson back during their childhood days. Those days were so beautiful…so carefree. No worries, no troubles. She remembered the blissful times they had together, the time she and Wilson played hide-and-seek in the park, the time her parents had allowed her to spend the day at his house….

Then came bitter memories. How she had quarreled with him all because of a trivial matter, the time he was moving away as well as the time he told her the heart-breaking news and all sorts of things he did that scarred her feelings, deeply or not.

Steven Stone…the time she had spent with him wasn't much, but it was enough to get her infatuated with him. She found herself wistfully thinking of his handsome features, his steel-gray eyes and rapturous smile.

She recalled how he had saved her rapidly exhausting pokemon (and herself) from the two Team Whatsit duo (she didn't recall them mentioning their team, just saying that their boss would be interested in her) by ordering his pokemon to use Meteor Mash. After that, he had carried her all the way out to the Pokemon Center, where she awoke. She was greatly touched by his act of kindness.

Her sweet thoughts were interrupted as she remembered her angry outburst in the Pokemon Center. She cringed and a wave of guiltiness and awe washed over her. She couldn't believe, didn't want to believe that she had yelled at him, the Champion of Hoenn, so harshly.

During the short while she and Steven had together, she could swear that she felt warm and safe near him. True, he was powerful, granted he was the Champion of Hoenn. Still…this particular feeling had no connection whatever with that. It was….

Sara shook her head wildly, making her elegant brown locks of hair cascade down, hiding her face. Who did she like more? Steven Stone or his cousin? That question revolved endlessly in her mind. Sara felt like screaming in frustration. She never thought of like, or even crushes, to be so confusing.

_Sara!_ Kirlia yelled, finally getting her Trainer's attention. Sara finally broke down. With a sob, Sara hugged the Emotion Pokemon. She clung onto her like a child. Kirlia was surprised by this.

"Oh, Kirlia…." Sara sobbed into her pokemon's arms, tears racking her body as silver drops fall from her eyes. "I don't know who to choose! Whoever I choose, I shall hurt the other…."

_Yet I can't bear to live without them, _she thought unhappily. _Of all people, why me?_

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hi! I know this is super-short; I simply have no idea about crushes or love. Hopefully the next chapter will be a lot better and longer than this.

NEXT CHAPTER….

Sara decides to go on with life, visits the Trick Master, and, unfortunately, meet Brendan. You'd think she'd had enough of boys by now, don't you? (sighs sympathically)


	13. Havoc

Hello! I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner, I was rushing to meet the deadline I set for myself for a friend's birthday in another fanfiction. Well, here goes! Chapter 13!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon. As simple as that.

….

**Hurt**

Sara woke up groggily, her entire body aching. Groaning softly to herself, she stretched herself and rubbed her eyes blearily. Her fingers touched something quite soft and slightly wet. Sara looked down to the floor in alarm, only to find….

A field of lush green grass under her. It was wet due to the dew that still clung to the tips of each blade, teetering precariously on the very tips of the grass, threatening to fall at any moment. Sara looked around. A flash of white and green caught her attention.

_Good morning Sara, _Kirlia said sleepily, massaging her sore thighs on which Sara had slept on all through the night. _Slept well?_

"Mm. You?" Sara replied nonchalantly, checking the contents of her bag for something edible. Finding none, she rose to buy some from the shops, wincing slightly as she did so. Her muscles were hurting from sleeping on the grass all night.

_Oh, okay._ Kirlia trilled. _But it would be better if I had my legs freed._

Sara grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Kirlia. I…had rather a lot on my mind lately." Her pokemon shrugged and stood up, brushing off dirt and grass. Suddenly, Kirlia became alert, listening carefully.

"What is it?" Sara asked, instantly on her guard. She scanned the surroundings keenly. Seeing nothing, she stared at Kirlia, who had her eyes shut, concentrating on her ultra-sharp psychic senses. (Was I exaggerating?)

_There is something in pain_…Kirlia murmured, her eyes snapping open. She tried scouring the area for the injured thing, to no avail. Sighing in frustration, she shut her eyes once more, using both her senses of hearing and psychic sense to find it. Turning around slightly every few seconds or so, she listened intently, her senses pushed to its maximum capacity.

_Here_…. she murmured. Eyes still closed, she walked to the east. Sara followed dubiously behind her. Kirlia would stop occasionally to pinpoint the spot. Poochyena was sent out beside Kirlia to aid her in her search.

"Yena!" Poochyena sniffed the air and bounded forwards. Sara and Kirlia followed without delay. His yapping ahead allowed them to follow him, although he was no longer in sight.

Suddenly, the yapping lowered into a cautious growl, which became one of concern. The Emotion Pokemon continued onwards, using her psychic senses as a guide. Sara followed behind with nothing to guide her except for her pokemon.

She looked down in surprise as she felt an insistent tugging at her jeans. Poochyena was there, a bit of her jeans locked firmly in its jaw. He looked at her anxiously when he saw that he had succeeded in capturing his Trainer's attention.

_I found it,_ he said in a husky voice. He tugged once more at her jeans. _Over here._ He ran off ahead, inviting Sara to follow.

"You're too fast, Poochyena! Wait!"

_Follow me, Sara,_ Kirlia commanded as the pokemon took huge strides to keep up with the energetic dog. Soon she, too, was out of sight.

"Pokemon are way too fast," Sara grumbled as she lost sight of them. "Or maybe I should lose some weight," she added thoughtfully.

Somewhere ahead, Poochyena gave a frustrated growl. _Will Sara ever catch up?_

_Perhaps if you slow down a little, Poochyena. You're fast, _Kirlia panted. Growling even more ferociously, Poochyena ran back to find his Trainer.

_They really should train humans more to be faster, _Poochyena muttered as he retraced his steps. Spying Sara about a kilometer away, he barked and tugged once more at her jeans.

"Come on. Just slow down this time, okay?" Sara said. Still growling about humans needing more strenuous training, he ran in front of her, this time taking care to keep Sara in sight. Kirlia was waiting for them a little distance away.

_Hurry! _She urged. Poochyena disappeared into the clump of trees nearby, as did Kirlia. Sighing, Sara followed and found herself in a dell. It was well sheltered; big leafy boughs blocked most of the sunlight. The dim light appeared green to the girl since it had to go through the green leaves. Invisible insects and birds twittered and screeched, creating a harmonious sound.

Sara took a deep breath, enjoying the scenery. A small part at the back of her mind was buzzing her incessantly. What was she doing here? She had to ask herself. Her question was answered as soon as she thought of it. Poochyena nipped her leg impatiently.

"Ow! That hurts!" Sara yelled as she held onto her leg. "Why did you do that for?"

Poochyena cocked his head towards an unconscious pink form near some bushes. Her eyes widened when she saw it and she hurried to the pokemon's side without delay. It was bleeding profusely on the back of its head and back, and its leg was nearly severed off. Sara couldn't help the tears falling from her eyes, which had turned silver yet again without her realizing. It was such a sad sight to see.

"Ski…" the pokemon meowed weakly. Sara flinched then squinted to get a better look at the semi-conscious pokemon. It was revealed as a Skitty. There was also a nasty gash on its face, feeding the weakly protesting cat blood from its own wounds.

"Plusle!"

"Minun!"

The high-pitched squeaks came from two cute pokemon who had poked their heads out from the bush and now crowded around the Skitty in concern. The difference between the two yellow-furred pokemon was that one had a plus symbol at the tip of its tail whereas the other had a minus sign. The markings of their cheeks bore similar symbols as well. The pokemon with the plus symbol had red patches of fur where the plus sign was embedded. The same could be said for the one with the minus signs, albeit with blue fur.

_What happened to the Skitty, Plusle? _The one with the plus symbol asked in a voice barely louder than a squeak.

_Yes, what happened, Minun?_ The latter asked.

"Um, you're Plusle and You're Minun, right?" Sara said, pointing a finger at the respective pokemon.

_Yep, right you are, Plusle._

_Uh-huh, Minun!_

"Well, I think its hurt," said Sara, pointing out the obvious.

Plusle nodded. _It looks bad,_ Kirlia muttered, concern written all over her face. _We have to get it to a Pokemon Center right away._

"Poor Skitty," Sara mumbled. Her eyes flashed a bright silver as she reached out towards the ball of pink fur. Her hand glowed a comforting golden colour as it neared Skitty. Sara shut her eyes and walked towards the semi-conscious Skitty, as if in a trance by the way she was walking, so light was her touch of her feet on the ground.

Her fingers brushed against Skitty's fur, which was matted with crimson blood. The wounds healed at the slightest touch. Sara kept her eyes shut as she traced her hand over the cat's entire body. Several beads of sweat stood out on her brow. Still she persevered. Slowly, the wounds closed up and Skitty's fur returned to its former glory.

Gently, she ran a finger over its nearly severed leg. She could feel it flinch under her touch but it relaxed as soon as it had started. Closing the gash was a slow process. Sara grunted with the effort as she channeled more energy into healing. Kirlia and Poochyena simply stared, wide-eyed, at their Trainer.

_I'm going to help her_, Kirlia said with determination, snapping out of her trance. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her psychic energy and gave it to the crouching girl before her. Sara felt the sudden surge of power she was infused with. With a feeling of gratefulness, she used the energy to heal Skitty. The aura around her hand pulsed strongly with a blinding light.

Finally, the wound showed progress towards healing. It sealed itself up and siphoned off the blood, leaving it as good as new. Sara sighed in relief and lay down on the grass, not caring about dirt clinging onto her clothes anymore. She was too tired to care.

_What did you just do, Sara? _Kirlia asked, rather awed by Sara's new talent. She was also exhausted due to the energy transfer a little while earlier.

_Yeah, what did you do, Plusle? _Plusle enquired, cocking his head to the side, making him look most comical. Beside him, Minun nodded fervently.

"I don't know," Sara panted, dazed. And a peach-coloured face with inquisitive eyes and a BIG grin looking down at her did _not_ help. "Aaaah!" she screamed, getting up in an instant. Skitty leaped several feet backwards.

_Don't you like me?_ She mewed sadly. Of course, Sara consoled her immediately.

"Of course I like you, Skitty!" The Kitten Pokemon cheered up immediately and scampered about, mewing joyfully.

_Yay! She likes me, she likes me…oh I'm so adorable!_

Everyone in the vicinity sweatdropped at that. _What a vain Skitty, _Poochyena commented dryly. The others couldn't help but agree.

"Um, Skitty?" Sara said. Still the kitten pranced round with its nose up in the air.

"_Skitty?_" No answer.

"_SKITTY!_" Finally, Skitty turned around dumbly.

_Anything wrong?_ She asked with innocent eyes. Sara sighed.

"What are you going to do now?"

_Um_…. the kitten pondered. Her cheery grin returned as she faced the Trainer. _Play!_ She squealed, earning more sweatdrops from human and pokemon alike.

"Grr…I give up!" Sara sighed exasperatedly, throwing her arms up into the air. Plusle and Minun stood up happily.

_Come on, let's play tag, Plusle!_ Plusle yelled and began chasing Minun in frenzy. Minun, in turn, chased after Skitty, making a circle of pokemon chasing each other. Yellow, red, blue and pink melded together into the circle.

"O-kay," Sara muttered as she stared at the sight. Kirlia stood by her side, equally aghast.

_I never really liked pokemon who frolic around anyway,_ she sniffed disapprovingly. Poochyena nodded.

"So what are you going to do after we leave?" Sara gave the situation another chance. There was no answer from the playing trio. Dusting her hands, she turned towards her pokemon.

"Shall we go?" Her pokemon nodded.

"Alright. Kirlia, Poochyena, return!"

Kirlia and Poochyena disappeared, becoming two identical beams of red light before retreating into their Pokeballs. Placing the Pokeballs onto her belt, specially designed to hold Pokeballs, she turned to go. Ducking to go underneath some low branches, she was knocked over by three playful pokemon.

_Let us come with you!_ all three yelled simultaneously. Minun was the last one to run out and knocked into Plusle, who in turn bumped into Skitty, who fell onto Sara, who was already on the ground.

"Oof!" Sara grunted as she felt something fall onto her. Holding it up to eye level, she found a ball of pink fur with a cheesy grin on its peach-coloured face. "Aaah!" she screamed before dropping Skitty, who rolled on the ground, mewing in laughter. Plusle and Minun rolled on the ground as well, holding their middles and laughing in a very comical manner.

_Oh no, I really don't want them to follow me,_ Sara groaned inwardly as she got up. She turned towards Slateport City again, only to be tagged by three enthusiastic pokemon.

_Take us along with you, Plusle! _Plusle pleaded. Minun and Skitty said the same thing.

_I'm going to regret this_…. Sara thought as she pulled out three Pokeballs and pressed them, one by one, against each pokemon. Plusle disappeared into a Pokeball, quickly followed by Minun. Skitty, however, was a different matter altogether. She tried to snatch the Pokeball from her hands for her to play.

_Let's play ball! _She said gleefully as she pushed the Pokeball about. Sara sighed and pulled out another Pokeball, her very last, and threw it towards Skitty. It hit her on the head and absorbed her into itself.

_Finally,_ Sara thought, satisfied. The three Pokeballs were then swathed in white before disappearing. Grinning broadly, she walked back to Slateport City for a late breakfast.

….

"I'm sorry Sara, but please leave!" An exasperated Nurse Joy yelled over the havoc, namely Skitty, Plusle and Minun. They ran around, toppling everything in their way. Several Chansey shook their fists (do they have fists?) at them as either one of the trio bumped into them.

"But -" Sara protested weakly. Nurse Joy pointed a firm finger towards the door. With a sigh, Sara recalled the troublesome three and walked out dejectedly. She then sat outside the wreck of the former Pokemon Center. The interior was an utter mess. Potted plants lay on their side, the brown porcelain pots smashed to bits. Bits of dirt landed onto people's plates, making them protest loudly, which in turn called out Nurse Joy, who was having a short rest at the back of the Center. Irritated that her rest had been disturbed, she snapped at poor Sara and kicked her out of the Center.

Sadly, Sara walked towards the milling crowd, hoping to get some food at the Slateport market. She squirmed uncomfortably each time a body brushed against hers. She wasn't accustomed to being brushed against by humans. Hurriedly, she bought some sandwiches and several packets of biscuits then she was out of there, running for dear life.

Sara sat down on a turf far away from the bustling market and unwrapped the plastic around the sandwich. With a contented sigh, she started to sink her teeth into the soft bread, filled with ham and cheese as well as layered with a piece of cabbage on both pieces of bread. Suddenly….

A yellow blur ran swiftly in front of her eyes. Sara was shocked. She then realized with a jolt that the creature had stolen her breakfast when she felt only empty air between her fingers. Grumbling under her breath, she turned to face it. A yellow face with long ears that were black at the tip, red cheeks that served as sacs and a pair of very mischievous black eyes looked up at her, its mouth turned up in a cheeky grin. In its mouth was Sara's sandwich.

"Give that back!" Sara yelled angrily. First the wrecking of the Center, now the stealing of her breakfast. That was just too much. The yellow-furred pokemon, whom Sara recognized as a Pikachu, and an extremely cheeky one at that, shook its head.

_No way! I haven't had lunch all day and you expect me to give it up?_ It demanded in a low alto voice. It was clearly a male.

"Well, for your information, I haven't eaten all day as well!" Sara retorted, placing her hands on her hips. Pikachu changed its tactic quicker than a blink of an eye.

_Please?_ He whimpered, looking up at her with huge, adorable, _irresistible_ eyes. Sara's heart melted at the sight of him.

"Okay," she said grudgingly. Pikachu cheered and gobbled the sandwich down. Meanwhile, Sara opened a packet of biscuits and bit into one, satisfaction spreading to the tips of her fingers as she tasted the first morsel of food since the previous evening. As she prepared to swallow her second biscuit, she saw Pikachu eyeing it longingly. Sighing, she handed it to Pikachu, who devoured it faster than a hungry carnivore.

Sara watched the rodent eat the biscuit. It reminded her of one of her friends back home on earth. Gina was a plump girl who had her hair made up in two pigtails and had dimples when she smiled. A few freckles dotted her face near the nose. She could shovel down a surprising amount of food down her throat if she was hungry, thus the reason for her plumpness. Sara smiled blissfully as she recalled the kind girl. _She pretty really, if only she would lose some weight,_ Sara thought then she shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking of the past.

_I don't even know where I am anymore,_ she reflected. _Am I even in the real world?_ An image of her mother and father flitted into her mind. With a pang of longing, she realized that she missed her parents dreadfully. She stifled a sob as she remembered their smiling faces, their affectionate hugs every time it was her birthday….

_I miss you, mom and dad_….

….

I'm sorry, please ignore the hints of the next episode in the previous chapter. I decided to change it a little. So sorry people!

Oh, and I decided not to include tips for the next chapter starting from now. It makes the wait more worth it, I hope.

See you!


	14. The Dynamo Badge

Hallo! I decided to update sooner to make up for the last one. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Is that clear? Of course it is.

….

**Mauville City**

"We're finally here," Sara said eagerly as she exited the winding route. Without further ado, she ran towards….

The Game Corner.

"Ooee!" she squealed as she started pressing buttons on a random machine. Not surprisingly, nothing happened. "Why can't I play this game?" she said exasperatedly to no one in particular.

"Because you need special tokens to play them, of course," a dull voice sounded behind her. Sara turned around in alarm only to find a depressed man staring at the slots yearningly.

"Where can I get the tokens?" Sara enquired, barely able to control her excitement.

The man pointed towards a counter where several women stood serving customers. "Over there. But don't count on winning; the chances are very slim. And here -" he handed her a slim case "- you need this Coin Case to get some Coins. I wish I had some Coins," he said ruefully. "I lost it all at the slots. Tricky, gambling is."

Sara wasn't listening to him. She was busy counting her money to change into Coins. She grabbed the Coin Case without saying thank you to the man and hastened off to exchange her money for Coins.

The man watched her with an evil glint in his eye. "Another victim for the Mauville Game Corner," he snickered. "Innocent people are _so_ easy to manipulate."

Meanwhile, our overenthusiastic trainer dumped all of her money onto the counter. "I want to exchange all this for Coins," she said confidently. The woman attending to her nodded absentmindedly and started counting the money. The money then exchanged hands along with a stack of Game Corner Coins.

Some time later….

Sara walked out of the Game Corner sadly. "I can't believe I lost all my money at the slots!" she wailed. She sighed and continued wandering aimlessly to find a Pokemon Center. She could not buy some healing Potions at the Pokemon Mart due to her being broke.

"Hello! Please set your Pokeballs here on this tray for me to heal!" a familiar sounding female voice greeted her. Nurse Joy then came out from behind the curtains, humming a cheerful tune. She stopped when she caught sight of the trainer before her.

Sara stood there in awkward silence. "H-Hi," she said in an attempt to end the eerie quietness that surrounded her.

"Are you Miss Sara whose three pokemon caused havoc in the Pokemon Center in Slateport?" Nurse Joy reprimanded, suddenly reverting from her cheerful demeanor to glare sternly at Sara. The girl quailed under the nurse's stare.

"Then please leave," the nurse said firmly.

"But -" Sara protested. The people in the Center were giving her weird stares by then. It made her uncomfortable.

"Out."

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of debating with the young nurse, Sara managed to persuade her to let her stay, on the condition that none of the three troublesome pokemon will be released during their stay here.

Reluctantly, Nurse Joy took the Pokeballs containing the rest of Sara's pokemon. She refused to heal any of the troublesome trio, however. In the end, Sara had to resort to begging some potions and Ethers from passing Chansey to heal the three outside the Pokemon Center grounds.

A young boy came out to meet her, only to be knocked down by a hyperactive Skitty. He rubbed his sore buttocks grumpily as he delivered his message: Her pokemon are fully healed now, so can Miss Sara go and claim them? Sighing, the brown haired girl recalled her pokemon and went back into the Center to retrieve her remaining three pokemon, who at least were more matured and have better manners.

"Hey Sara!" a timid boy piped from the front of a Gym. A portly man of about forty was standing in front of the door of the Gym, blocking the entrance. He turned around to face Sara.

"Ah, right timing, little one. Please explain to Wally here that his pokemon are not ready to challenge a gym just yet," he said exasperatedly. Behind him, Wally scowled and made a face.

Sara tried to keep a straight face. The faces Wally made were really hilarious to look at. "Why do you want me to say so?" she asked curiously.

"Because this boy wants to challenge the Gym and I think that his pokemon do not have enough experience to take them on. In addition to Wattson's electric fences, he would be defeated in the blink of an eye!"

"Am not!" Wally said defiantly and stuck out his tongue. The man scowled at his behaviour.

"Sara, please battle with me to show my uncle that I'm capable of battling," the scrawny boy pleaded, ignoring the disapproving clucks from his uncle.

"Well, okay." She was out of cash anyway. Pulling out a Pokeball, she cried, "I choose you, Combusken!"

Wally smiled appreciatively. "Go, Kirlia!"

_Uh-oh,_ Sara thought with a sweatdrop. _I guess he wasn't joking when he said he had trained hard. His Ralts had evolved into a Kirlia, just like mine. This is going to be one hard battle._

"Kirlia, use Confusion!" Wally ordered.

"Dodge then Double Kick!" Sara called. The Young Fowl pokemon leaped high into the air, evading the lethal attack. It then stretched its leg out before it, preparing a Double Kick attack from the air. She then came crashing down on Kirlia. Instead of lifting her leg to deliver a second kick, she pinned the Emotion pokemon down to the ground.

"Now Peck it!" Sara cried. Combusken opened her beak and nipped Kirlia's shoulder, hard. She registered Kirlia's look of shock before the Psychic Pokemon passed out. Both Sara and Combusken stared at the fallen pokemon in confusion.

"That was unexpected," Sara said jerkily.

_I agree,_ Combusken said. As for Wally, he stared disbelievingly at his pokemon, not bothering to recall it.

"Wally…why don't you recall it?" Sara said gently.

"You're right," Wally said in barely a whisper as he mustered a crumpled smile. He then held out the Ultra Ball he used to capture his pokemon when it was just a Ralts. Kirlia became one with the beam of red light and disappeared into its Pokeball. "I guess I'm not ready to challenge a Gym. Thank you for battling me," he said shyly as he went to the west, away from the Gym. His uncle started to follow him.

Sara turned to go until she heard someone call her name faintly. Turning around, she saw Wally's uncle huffing and puffing to catch up with her.

"Oh yes. It…suddenly dawned on me…that you…might be the person who…had help Wally…catch his Ralts. Why don't you…visit us sometime in Verdanturf? Wally would…be very happy," he wheezed. Sara stared at him before accepting his offer.

"Okay, thank you! Bye, Mr…?"

"It's not important. It's enough that you know me as Wally's uncle."

"Okay, bye!"

Sara waved at the retreating man then turned to face the Gym. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Mauville Gym, here I come!"

….

"Let the battle commence!" the commentator yelled.

"Right. I choose…Kirlia!" Sara said quietly. She doubted if that was a good idea. _Probably not,_ she reflected.

"Go Voltorb," a plump man with a white moustache and a balding head said. He wore a brown sweater and frequently stuck his hands into his trouser pockets. His mouth was always twisted upwards in a smile.

"Use Charge."

"Kirlia, use Psychic to levitate the Voltorb into the air then try to crush it." Kirlia concentrated really hard until her eyes turned red. At the same time, the same red glow covered Voltorb, bringing it up into the air. There it stayed, suspended by Kirlia's power. Small dents appeared on its sphere-like body that resembled a Pokeball.

"Break free with Spark then Thundershock," Wattson hollered.

"Kirlia, let go of it then use Light Screen!" Sara ordered. Immediately, a transparent shield appeared around Kirlia. Both Electric-based attacks bounced off harmlessly away from Kirlia.

"Great thinking, Miss Sara. Voltorb, continue Charging as long as the shield lasts."

"We can't let it do that, can we Kirlia? So continue using Confusion on Voltorb until it is confused." Kirlia concentrated once again, sending lethal psychic waves to the Pokeball-shaped pokemon. She achieved her goal on her third try, when her hopes started to wane. Voltorb's eyes turned into spirals as it rocked about unsteadily, shooting electric bolts everywhere.

"Try finishing it with Psychic," Sara concluded. The Voltorb keeled over and lay on its side (how can we tell anyway?), unconscious.

"Voltorb is unable to battle! Sara and Kirlia wins the round!" the commentator yelled. Behind him, spectators cheered.

"Good job, Sara. Let me see whether you have what it takes to take down my pokemon. Magnemite, you're up next!" Wattson praised, throwing his second Pokeball out into the field.

"Mag-ne-mite," a pokemon droned. This pokemon had two magnets, one on each side, and a single eye in the center of its round metallic body. A screw popped out of its head.

"Magnemite, start off with a Charge as the Light Screen disappears." Sure enough, the Light Screen surrounding Kirlia dissipated as the last of the electrical sparks were absorbed into Magnemite.

"Kirlia, use Double Team!" Sara said, recalling the new move Kirlia had mastered during a battle with a wild Electrike earlier. Instantly there duplicate images of the Emotion pokemon, all moving about in a circle so that no one could see neither head nor hide of the pokemon. All they saw was a green white blur.

Magnemite hovered confusedly in the air, too slow to follow Kirlia's every movement. "Magnemite," Wattson called. That caught the pokemon's attention.

"Just use Shock Wave to hit all of them."

"Try to evade it Kirlia."

Wattson shook a pudgy finger. "Nope, no evading this attack, young lady. Shock Wave will hit, no matter what."

_Oh no,_ Sara thought worriedly. She was right to worry. Kirlia fell victim to the powerful attack, striking her down. The pokemon struggled to stand, to no avail. Static coursed through her body, showing that she was paralyzed.

"Kirlia…can you go on?"

_Yes._ That was all she said.

"Okay then. Use a Psychic on it," Sara said halfheartedly. She knew that her pokemon was weakening and would go down soon. Kirlia's eyes glowed red, as did the Magnemite. Unfortunately, Magnemite's tough metal body could withstand the strong attack, leaving it unscathed.

"Use a Thundershock to finish it off." A bolt of lightning shot down from the ceiling, hitting Kirlia heads-on. She flinched visibly before crumpling to the floor.

"Kirlia," Sara whispered in a broken voice. _I shouldn't have pushed her that hard,_ she thought guiltily. Oh well. What had happened was over and done with. "Return. I choose you, um, Skitty." _Might as well let that obnoxious kitten have a taste of a real battle._

"Start with Thundershock, Magnemite," Wattson ordered.

"Dodge that attack, Skitty!"

_What attack? _She mewed blankly. Turning to see the single big eye of Magnemite directly in front of her, her smile became a huge grin.

_A ball!_ She squealed as she tried to play with Magnemite. Her sharp claws scratched the surface of Magnemite's metal coat, causing a horrible high-pitched screech. Sara covered her ears in disgust. Just then, the Thundershock attack hit Skitty on the head. The Kitten Pokemon flew all the way across the battlefield to crash into a pillar with a sickening thud.

_Ow…_ Skitty mewed. _Let's do it again,_ she said groggily. _Ooh, lots and lots o stars_….

Sara stared disbelievingly at the naïve Skitty. _I can't believe I actually allowed it to battle! What was I thinking?_ She wailed inwardly. She threw a Pokeball towards the unconscious kitten. It returned to her gloved hand, containing the silly kitten within.

"Um…Skitty is unconscious! The winner is Gym Leader Wattson and Magnemite!" the commentator said uncertainly. That Skitty didn't seem to have put up a fight at all.

"Ah, so my last pokemon will be…Combusken!" Sara groaned. She was already down to her last pokemon thanks to a playful Skitty. Great. Her day couldn't be getting any worse. Can it?

Her pokemon appeared in the battlefield with a screech. She landed on her two feet and shot a small flame into the air, unconsciously hitting Magnemite's body. That was enough to take it down.

"Magnemite is unable to battle. This round goes to Combusken and Sara!" the commentator shouted over the noise of the crowd.

"You're good, Miss Sara," Wattson complimented. "Now let's see if you can withstand my last pokemon: Magneton!"

What seemed to be three Magnemite infused into one appeared. Electricity crackled around its metal body. "Mag-ne-ton," it said in a robotic voice.

"Start of with a Charge attack."

"Combusken, fire an Ember at that Magneton!"

The battle ensued in full force. Both pokemon were equally experienced, making it a stand-off. Bolts of lightning and jets of fire appeared randomly around the arena. Neither pokemon seem to be closer to being defeated than the other was.

Sara decided to change her tactic. This isn't getting them anywhere. "Combusken, use Double Kick on Magneton." What surprised her was that each kick delivered was Super Effective, causing Magneton's life to be drained to half. Everyone ooh-ed and aah-ed at the sight of the battered Magneton.

"Don't let it get you, Magneton! Use Shock Wave!"

The ceiling turned dark. Somehow, dark clouds obscured the roof of the room. Spectators shivered; the atmosphere had dropped dramatically. Small flashes of lightning came down from it. Combusken stared at it with unease, knowing that there was no escaping it. Sure enough, a huge yellow bolt of electricity came crashing down from the biggest cloud, smacking Combusken to the floor. She lay directly underneath the Magnemite-turned-Magneton.

"Now shoot your Flamethrower at Magneton!" Combusken opened her beak. A spurt of flame came out of it, smoldering the Electric and Metal element in white hot flames. It licked hungrily at the metal casing. Slowly, it melted. Magneton fainted from the extreme heat.

Sara pumped her fist into the air. "Yay! We won! Go Combusken! Uh, Combusken?" she asked uncertainly. A white light had surrounded the Young Fowl Pokemon, shifting its shape.

"Whoa," Sara whispered in awe. A totally new pokemon now stood proudly where her Combusken had formerly stood.

"Blaziken!" she screeched. True, she looked fiercer now, but she was still Combusken at heart despite her physical changes.

"Congratulations, Sara. I hereby present you with a Dynamo Badge!" Wattson proclaimed as he handed her a small badge. Sara held it in her hand with pride.

"My third badge," she said happily. "Great job there Blaziken." Her newly evolved pokemon gave her a thumbs-up.

_Why don't we visit Wally? I'm sure you'll like it, _she suggested.

"Eh, you just want to show off, don't you?" Sara teased. Blaziken glared at her but laughed along. "Come on, let's go. Thanks so much, Wattson."

Wattson chuckled good-naturedly. "Sure! You gave me a reason for a good laugh, Sara! The battle we had was intense! Mwahahaha!"

"Um…" Sara said with a sweatdrop. "I'll be going now. Blaziken, return!" Turning to go, she tossed a wave over to the old Gym Leader. His loud laughter followed her all the way to Route 117.

_I seriously doubt that any Pokemon Center would be willing to heal Skitty,_ Blaziken hinted before disappearing into her Pokeball. Sara groaned and embarked upon her journey to Verdanturf.

"I'll worry about that when the time comes…."

….

Whew, finally done. I know this chapter is rather bad, I was rushing to complete it before I have to continue with my assignments.

Please leave a review! Do remember that reviews are very much appreciated.

Ja Ne.


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